Hilda Yepes Contreras led a clarion call at Crescent City’s Beachfront Park that was echoed worldwide, especially in Texas and California, on Friday.

“Every child that dies or is sick at the border is on all of us if we do nothing,” she said. “Because so far we haven’t changed the fact that families fleeing from violence and poverty are met with tear gas, guns and cages at our borders. We haven’t changed the fact that children are in overcrowded cages without their parents, hungry, scared, with no clothes, soap, toys. We haven’t changed the fact that children are sick and dying alone (in) government custody.”

Yepes Contreras and a crowd of about 40 Del Norte County residents joined other “Lights for Liberty” vigils dedicated to raising awareness of the treatment of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to Denise Doyle-Schnacker, who organized the event, candlelight vigils are happening around the world. Doyle-Schnacker said she spoke with an organizer of a vigil in Texas who said that the area within a 180 mile radius of Del Norte County has the largest concentration of Lights for Liberty vigils.

“It shows that our community, our region, really cares about people,” Doyle Schnacker said, noting that it’s easy to feel isolated in remote Del Norte County. “We stand in solidarity with the children and the mothers and the fathers and the aunties and the uncles as we go forward.”

Yepes Contreras, a leader of True North Organizing Network’s Immigration Local Organizing Committee, opened the vigil with a prayer, invoking Jesus Christ to help break the shackles, bars and chains. She recited the prayer in Spanish while her colleague Pat Black translated.

Yepes Contreras also reminded those protesting that their neighbors also live in fear of being parted from their loved ones. The vigil not only brings awareness to the plight of families and children at the southern border, it also shows that Del Norte County residents support those in their own communities who may be immigrants, she said.

“It’s up to us to raise our voices,” Yepes Contreras said. “That’s what we’re here to do today.”

Before holding a 10-minute silent vigil, Doyle-Schnacker made a declaration, demanding an end to immigration detentions, saying she and other protesters will “be here for as long as it takes until the United States lives fully and completely up to the principles of dignity, equity and respect for all and the principle of ‘do no harm.’”

The vigil also include a screening of “Let’s talk about the 300 kids….”, uploaded two weeks ago by YouTuber Beau of the Fifth Column, and a singalong to “Canticle of the Turning” led by True North member Mike Tompkins.

Before the close of the vigil, Doyle-Schnacker encouraged protesters to write to their congressional representatives “over and over” until they end the crisis at the border. She reminded them of the recent announcement from the Trump Administration that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is set to begin raids on Sunday.

“You can donate money to house a family, you can donate your time, a letter, whatever you can to end this,” she said. “I would take a bullet for any of you, I would. Especially those of you that don’t have the power I do as an old white woman. Everybody else needs it too.” Doyle-Schnacker also encouraged protesters to donate and volunteer for organizations advocating on behalf of immigrants like True North’s Immigration LOC.

Black said True North’s Immigration Local Organizing Committee has been active for at least seven years. In addition to asking those they advocate for what their needs are, Black said the committee respects “their entirely founded fears.” For example, she said, they wouldn’t encourage an immigrant family to attend the Lights for Liberty vigil where they might feel vulnerable.

“A lot of people have come to me and say ‘what have you heard about the raids?’” Black said, also bringing up immigrants who are in the U.S. as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. “‘What have you heard about the DACA kids? Is DACA going to be cut off?’ Just crying.”

The Immigration LOC has made immigration families aware living in Del Norte County of the Notifica app, Yepes Contreras said. Developed by United We Dream, the Notifica app allows immigrants to alert legal advocates, family and other contacts that they may have been detained by deportation agents. They have also distributed cards informing the local immigrant community of what their rights are in case they are detained by ICE agents.

“They say if ICE shows up at your door these are your rights,” Black said. “They also have this little statement in English that you just hold in the window or slide under the door or something that says ‘I have the right not to let you in,’ ‘let me see the warrant’; that kind of thing.”

People can get involved with True North Organizing Network’s Immigration LOC by calling Smith River organizer Amy Campbell-Blair at (707) 733-3642, emailing amyc@truenorthorganizing.org or visiting the organization’s office at 285 L Street in Crescent City.