No One Will Be Left Behind: Interfaith Rally for Immigrant Justice at 26 Federal Plaza
Sunita’s speech at the rally
On Friday, August 8, 2025, more than 150 interfaith activists — led by clergy from a range of faith traditions — gathered in City Hall Park to demand dignity, safety, and freedom for those detained by ICE in New York.
We came together in white, in mourning for lives lost in detention and for families torn apart by cruel immigration policies. Flowers were carried not only as symbols of peace, but as acts of quiet resistance — a reminder that humanity must never be surrendered to the machinery of fear and control.
Arrests at today’s protest
The spirit of the protest was the deep interconnectedness of our struggles — from the starvation of those detained here to the denial of baby formula to infants in Gaza — a stark reminder that atrocities are being committed both at home and across the world.
From the park, we marched to 26 Federal Plaza — the site where immigrants are held in secret, overcrowded rooms, stripped of their rights, denied food, care, and due process. This is not just unjust. It is state-sanctioned kidnapping.
Hindus for Human Rights’ Executive Director, Sunita Viswanath, spoke at the rally, bringing a Hindu and immigrant perspective to the struggle for justice:
“As a Hindu, I cannot look away. Our tradition teaches ahimsa — nonviolence — not just as the absence of harm, but as a call to protect the vulnerable and confront injustice. And we are guided by dharma — the moral obligation to do what is right: to act with compassion, to speak out when power is abused, and to care for the most marginalized among us. There can be no climate justice without immigrant justice.”
Sunita’s remarks echoed the demands of the rally:
🌺 Immediate access for families and lawyers to communicate with those detained — ending the silence and secrecy.
🌺 The release of those held without charges or due process.
🌺 An end to ICE’s abusive tactics, including sudden street arrests, deceptive scheduling, and indefinite confinement.
🌺 Passage of the New York For All Act to end collaboration between local agencies and ICE.
🌺 Feed Gaza! No one will be left behind! — a call for solidarity that extends across borders and struggles.
The rally rang with music and chants:
🎵 “No one will be left behind.”
🎵 “My people, my condors and eagles — no human will ever be illegal.”
When clergy leaders demanded entry to see those detained inside 26 Federal Plaza, ICE refused. In response, 20–30 activists engaged in civil disobedience and were arrested.
The day’s action was a clear statement: our communities will not be silent in the face of cruelty. We will march, sing, speak, and resist until New York becomes a true sanctuary — and until every immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeker can live in safety and dignity.
