Episcopalians in Massachusetts gather support for immigrant parishioner facing ICE interview
In a show of solidarity, Bishop Julia Whitworth of the Diocese of Massachusetts attended a rally on September 16, 2025, in Burlington, Massachusetts, to support Blanca Martinez, an asylum-seeker from Honduras who fears deportation under the Trump administration's immigration policies.
Blanca Martinez, a long-time resident of the area, attends St. Peter's-San Pedro Episcopal Church in Salem and has worked as a house cleaner for the past decade. She won a stay of removal about five years ago but now faces the threat of deportation as her asylum efforts have been denied multiple times.
Martinez, a victim of childhood polio, suffers from chronic health issues that supporters fear could worsen in ICE detention. The Matahari Women Workers' Center, which organized the protest, describes many immigrant detentions as 'kidnappings'.
The rally, which was attended by approximately 500 people, including Episcopalians from across the Diocese of Massachusetts, took place outside the Burlington office of U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement. Bishop Whitworth flew home early from a meeting in the Dominican Republic to join the rally and led the group in prayer.
President Donald Trump's immigration policies have led to the detention of thousands of people with no criminal record, including many family members in the area. According to Ives, these detentions have resulted in broken families, as well as hardworking individuals being separated from their loved ones.
As of last week, there were more than 58,000 people in immigration detention, with less than 55% having been convicted of or charged with crimes. The protest for Blanca Martinez was just one of many rallies held across the country in support of immigrants facing similar situations.
After the rally, federal authorities released Martinez and allowed her to stay in the United States for at least another year. The Matahari Women Workers' Center, which has been advocating for Martinez's case, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and promised to continue fighting for a permanent solution for Martinez and other immigrants in similar situations.
Bishop Whitworth, who has been vocal in her opposition to the anti-immigration narrative espoused by white supremacist and Christian nationalist movements, felt it important to be with the group supporting Martinez, even though it meant missing the end of the House of Bishops' fall gathering. She expressed hope that the rally would bring attention to the plight of immigrants like Martinez and inspire others to take action in support of their rights.
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