Northern Illinois] Conference | February 12, 2025
What happens when immigration enforcement reshapes daily life—not in theory, but on the streets, in schools, and inside churches? Videographer Rev. Juan Marcos Garay documents how Chicago UM congregations navigate fear, loss, and uncertainty during the descent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the city. While the government organization’s stated purpose was to arrest the “worst of the worst” criminals, the attacks sometimes seemed indiscriminate.
Through the voices of pastors, lay leaders, and families, the video depicts a church that refuses to disappear when systems fail—but instead adapts, protects, and shows up. Told in both English and Spanish, this story reveals the human cost behind policies.
It also portrays the quiet courage of communities living under pressure and the faith that moves beyond preaching into presence.
The Rev. Dr. Lydia Muñoz, director of the UMC's El Plan for Hispanic/Latine' Ministries, told United Methodist Insight the Chicago video is part of an ongoing series called Historias: Stories of Resilience and Resistance.
"We should be releasing a new one next month about the faithful resistance in front of Alligator Alcatraz in Florida," Dr. Muñoz said in an email.