By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
Faith leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other traditions gathered at Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh on Friday morning for an interfaith prayer vigil in support of both North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers and immigrant communities affected by a new state law requiring law enforcement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The vigil centered on Senate Bill 153, which the North Carolina General Assembly enacted over Gov. Josh Stein's veto on June 24.
Now codified as Session Law 2026-19, the law requires four state law enforcement agencies (the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Adult Correction, the State Highway Patrol and the State Bureau of Investigation) to enter into agreements with ICE. Those agreements authorize designated state officers to carry out federal immigration enforcement duties once handled exclusively by ICE agents.
The law also bars state public benefit agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Housing Finance Agency, from providing Medicaid, housing assistance, or childcare subsidies to people residing in the state without legal status, and prohibits UNC System institutions from adopting sanctuary campus policies or restricting federal immigration enforcement on their campuses. It further waives local government tort immunity, meaning cities and counties that maintain sanctuary ordinances could be sued if someone in the country illegally commits a crime against a person or property within their borders.
Organizers described the hourlong vigil as neither an endorsement of the law nor a protest against Highway Patrol officers, but an expression of shared moral concern.
"This vigil is rooted in the shared values found across many faith traditions: to welcome the stranger, to love our neighbor, to seek peace, to pursue justice, and to care for the vulnerable. We are not gathered to debate policy. We are gathered to bear faithful witness to these enduring moral values and to pray that they will guide those entrusted with authority," said Ismael Ruiz-Millan, executive director of Durham-based Connectional Ministries for the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church.
The gathering moved through a moral analysis of Senate Bill 153, an interfaith prayer for peace and justice, a communal confession, and prayers offered for both Highway Patrol officers and immigrant communities, including a bilingual community lament written by members of a Spanish-speaking congregation and prayed responsively in English and Spanish.
Organizers said the service closed by looking toward what communal flourishing and safety for all residents could look like, and included music such as "We Are Marching in the Light of God". Among the prayers offered was one specifically for Highway Patrol officers, asking for their protection on every roadside stop and for grace for those wrestling with the weight of their new duties, including officers who themselves have immigrant family members.
Pastor Athena Thomasson-Bless of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary said the vigil was meant to call people of faith to moral courage.
"We, clergy of many faith backgrounds, are holding this prayer vigil to call us all to moral courage as people of faith," she said. "We are praying with hope for a future where all can flourish in our communities. We pray for the safety and flourishing of State Troopers who already have a great deal of responsibility and workload. We pray for the safety and flourishing of immigrants and refugees who deserve opportunities and protection. We come in prayer with courage and hope for a world where we honor and respect the sacred dignity and worth of all people."
The Rev. Joel Simpson, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Taylorsville, said many troopers did not seek the responsibilities the new law places on them.
"This law forces Highway Patrol to perform duties they never signed up to do. Not only will we pray for their safety, we will pray for their hearts and conscience as this new law goes into effect so that they continue to see the humanity of all people and stay faithful to serving and protecting all drivers, especially the most vulnerable," he said.
Faith leaders also offered thanks for the contributions immigrant communities bring to North Carolina and lamented the fear that they said now keeps some neighbors from calling on those sworn to protect them.
The Rev. Liam Barr of Latino Ministries for the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina said the vigil reflected clergy from many traditions, nationalities and languages standing together.
"Together, we will embody a vision of the world God is calling forth: a world where all are free to find joy; where law enforcement are free to fulfill their calling by serving and protecting the image of God in every person; where our differences become occasions for celebration rather than division; and where we can live out the sacred truth that we belong to one another," he said.
