MONTICELLO – Rural & Migrant Ministry (RMM) held a caravan and vigil to stand with Sullivan County’s immigrant community on Wednesday, November 5 starting at their center in South Fallsburg and driving to the Sullivan County Courthouse in Monticello. 

Gathering on the lawn in front of the courthouse, the event brought together RMM staff, interfaith leaders, allies and the larger community to call on law enforcement and elected officials to serve and protect every member of the community, highlight the many contributions of immigrants and call for due process for all. 

Bishop Matthew Heyd of the Episcopal Diocese of New York said, “We are here today because we believe everybody is made with human dignity that can never be taken away.”

Addressing those in the crowd, he said, “We should be places of safe belonging and sanctuary.”

RMM, a non-sectarian organization, has been in Sullivan County since 1989 and works throughout the state on issues related to equality, especially within agricultural systems.

Richard Witt, Executive Director of RMM, said the vigil gave him hope. 

“We stand for a just community that welcomes all and gives thanks to the immigrant brothers and sisters who work so hard to make life possible for all of us,” Witt said, mentioning the duck farms, dairies, bungalow colonies and healthcare facilities in the county.

Holding signs saying, “Have empathy” and “Justice for all,” members of the community listened to the remarks and joined in singing “This Land is Your Land” with Lou Setren. 

Community activist Sandra Oxford said she lives in Fallsburg, where 70 percent of the children in the school district are Latino and their parents work in food processing and agriculture. 

Referencing the signs people were holding, she said, “We want this to be part of how we communicate to each other.”