From the Desk of the Executive Director: Who Will Protect the Children?
Who will protect the children?
That is the question before us after the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) shooting—and it is one the Metro East must take seriously.
When immigration enforcement relies on force without transparency or accountability, it is children who bear the consequences. Children who experience fear and instability. Children who live with the trauma of watching their families placed at risk. No child should grow up believing that government authority means danger rather than protection.
We reject the idea that this kind of violence makes our communities safer.
We reject the idea that fear is an acceptable tool of governance.
What we are witnessing is not an isolated incident. It reflects ongoing public choices—choices to fund enforcement without adequate oversight, and to prioritize force over care. This is not just a policy concern; it is a moral one.
From Madison County to St. Clair County and across the Metro East, we are called to respond.
This Friday Jan. 30th, United Congregations of Metro-East is inviting our region into public action and moral witness for a Press Conference and Vigil at 4:00 p.m. at Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church (2801 State St., E. St. Louis, IL, 62205).
We are asking people across the Metro East to stand in solidarity by:
Opposing funding approaches that expand or militarize I.C.E. operations without strong accountability and oversight
Urging real accountability and oversight in the recent enforcement bill, including transparency and limits on the use of force
Calling for public investments that prioritize child safety, family stability, and humane alternatives over fear-based enforcement
Silence is not neutral.
Silence allows harm to continue.
Alongside these actions, we will gather for a public prayer vigil to honor the victims of this violence and to hold the children and families living under its shadow. This vigil is an act of remembrance and a commitment to do better.
Our faith traditions remind us that a society is judged by how it treats its children. Protecting them requires courage, compassion, and accountability from those in power—and persistence from the people.
This Friday, the Metro East shows up.
This Friday, we raise our voices together.
This Friday, we refuse to look away.
We stand for life.
We stand for families.
And we remain committed to justice.
- Darnell Tingle, Executive Director
