Billy Kurtz

About 100 community members gathered Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil to pray and support the families of those recently arrested at the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing plant here.

“As much as anything else, (this was) mainly to say, hopefully, to the Hispanic community, ‘We care about you, we are glad you are here,’” said the Rev. Mike Feely, director of the St. Andrew’s Center, a resource for Chattanooga’s multicultural communities. “We just want to be supportive, especially during a really traumatic time for the Hispanic community.”

At the vigil, held in front of City Hall downtown, some held signs that read, “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “Human beings are not illegal.” Others featured the Rev. Martin Luther King’s phrase: “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity ... ”

“I came to support the families,” said Jessica Cliche, bilingual program facilitator for Girls Inc. of Chattanooga. “I grew up in Guatemala, and I know how hard the situation is for them. Sometimes they live in deplorable conditions. They just want to give their children a better life, and unfortunately, the only way they can see that happening is to leave their country and come to the United States.”

Simultaneous vigils were held in Nashville and Memphis.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency raided Pilgrim’s Pride chicken-processing plants in five states — Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, Florida and West Virginia — arresting 311 people for immigration violations. In Chattanooga, 100 workers were arrested at the downtown Pilgrim’s Pride plant. Thirty six of those, mostly women, have been released with ankle bracelets to monitor their whereabouts until their hearings before a judge.

At the downtown vigil, Elizabeth Wray, a senior at Girls Preparatory School, held a “Love your neighbor as yourself” sign. It is her responsibility to treat others as she wants to be treated, she said.

“I don’t see immigrants as criminals. They are people who are not trying to hurt anybody else or do anything wrong,” she said. “They deserve to have voices and to be viewed as our neighbors and friends. It’s sad that there’s such a disconnect in our community. I’m hoping we can change that.”

City Councilman Manny Rico said having the vigil in front of City Hall could send the wrong message.

“I’m compassionate. I feel sorry for the people, but the way the general public feels about this, I think it may be sending a bad sign to have it at City Hall,” he said.

It would have been better, he said, if the vigil had been held at the St. Andrew’s Center or in a church.

“What they did is freedom of expression, and I’m behind that 100 percent because of the First Amendment, whether I think it’s right or wrong,” said Carl “Two Feathers” Whitaker, director of the Tennessee Volunteer Minutemen, an anti-illegal immigration group.

But he said he was glad the government finally was doing something about illegal immigration.

“We (the Minutemen) are just here to expose the illegals that are here so they can go back and do the proper thing,” he said. “I know the process may be long, but at least they can come back (into the country) the right way.”

Members of the Salvation Army, one of the organizations that actively has extended its services to the families affected by the immigration raid, came to the vigil to show their support.

“The Salvation Army is not getting to a political situation,” said Major Jim Lawrence, area commander for the organization. “Our feeling is that some of God’s creations need our help ... I’m here to support them and to be what they need.

“Our community (members), when they go through something like this, deserve humanitarian care such as a roof over their head, food on their table, and their children have the right to be taken care of,” he said. “That’s the reason why we are here, to make sure that is done.”