Photos and written by Dr. Alyssa Fisher, Cal-Pac Director of Communications

On February 25, 2026, members of the California-Pacific Annual Conference joined over 2,000 faith leaders from across the country for worship, peaceful processing, a rally near the Capitol Building, and meetings with congressional representatives all in the name of increased justice for immigrants in the United States.

Bishop Escobedo-Frank, Monalisa Tu’itahi (Cal-Pac Immigration Coordinator), Dr. Alyssa Fisher (Cal-Pac Communications Director), and Eliane Olsen (lay member, La Mesa First UMC) traveled from our conference to D.C. for the gathering. Starting with a worship service, the group filled three local churches: Capitol Hill UMC, Ebenezer UMC, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. The service was led by local clergy and Bishops, and included an inspirational sermon from Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling, resident Bishop of the Baltimore-Washington & Peninsula-Delaware Area called “The Earth is the Lord’s.” The transcript of her sermon is available at this link.

Several aspects of the worship were to encourage attendees that in the face of prevalent ICE presence in our cities and harmful policies for our neighbors, “as long as breath remains, justice can rise,” during the invocation from the Committee on Native American Ministries of Northeast UMC. During a A Prayer of Lament for Complicity, Silence, and the Dead: The Naming, Bishop Connie Mitchell Shelton (North Carolina Conference), and Bishop Cynthia Moore Koikoi (Easten Penn/Greater NJ Conference) named each person killed by ICE in the past year and their country of origin.

Following the worship service, the groups gathered outside of the churches and processed to the Capitol Building, ending at Senate Park for a public witness with speakers across faiths including Bishop Minerva Carcaño (retired), Chris Newman (National Day Laborer Organizing Network), Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo (General Secretary, GCORR), Dr. Leslie Copeland (National Council of Churches), Rev. Carlos L. Malave (Latino Christian National Network), Rev. Noel Anderson (Church World Services), Bishop Julius Trimble (General Secretary, GBCS), and congressional representatives from Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

The afternoon was filled with the gathered faithful meeting with congressional representatives from their states. The Cal-Pac group combined with our siblings from the California-Nevada Annual Conference and friends from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and The Episcopal Church across California into a group of a dozen. During the first meeting with Senator Alex Padilla’s office on immigration, Bishop Escobedo-Frank shared concerns about the removal of sensitive locations for not just places of worship but also schools and specifically daycares, and access to healthcare for detainees. Others gathered shared stories from their communities. The group also asked how we can continue to support Senator Padilla’s efforts towards immigrant justice. The biggest request was to reach out to our additional representatives who are republicans to share our stories. The second meeting was with Rep. Tom McClintock from Northern California, where the group shared concerns about the seemingly unlimited funding for ICE and DHS, and again requested the reinstatement of protection of sensitive locations including churches, schools, and hospitals.

As the group returned home, a discussion began about a California-focused show of Faithful Resistance. The gathering in D.C. was encouraging that our faith does call us to care for our neighbors, to stand up for them when they are not able to, and to continue to ask for what is just for all.

You can revisit the livestream of the event below, and access additional resources at this link.