There is much to be anxious and angry about these days. Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again war on Iran is back on.

Not only is Iran being bombed, but other Middle Eastern countries, who weren’t consulted or advised about the war and who host U.S. military facilities, are now being attacked by Iran. Americans are struggling with the costs of gas and basic goods. The impacts of climate change are hard upon us, with increased flooding, ongoing wildfires and serious air pollution. And poorly trained and questionably qualified ICE agents continue to murder innocent civilians on our streets as they racially profile targets in order to fill their detention quotas of 2,000 people at day.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero were both recently murdered by ICE agents. Fathers, husbands, community members, workers, they were not even the intended detention targets. Twenty-five-year-old Joan, from Colombia, was authorized to work in the U.S. and had been issued a Social Security number. Lorenzo Araujo, a Mexican national, was close to obtaining U.S. citizenship after living here for three decades. He was a home builder and was driving a crew to work when killed. These were the eighth and ninth deaths so far in Trump’s immigration crackdown. These people were not criminals. What has this country become?

If you are concerned, angry and appalled at these killings and these immigration policies, you are invited to join a vigil on Saturday, July 25, from 4-5 p.m. at the Cross Street Bridge in Middlebury. The purpose is to honor these innocent lives lost and to express our outrage at ICE actions, which threaten our communities. It is one of thousands of vigils being held on a national Day of Protest. Bring your signs, your sorrow, your outrage and your determination to work for a nation that respects and values all human life and the Rule of Law. The Vigil is sponsored by the pro-democracy group Indivisible Middlebury, and is a peaceful, non-violent, family-friendly gathering.

Heidi Willis
Salisbury