A small but determined group of faith leaders and community members gathered outside the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, Calif., on Oct. 11 to pray for the release of Evi Sarlita Sihomping, a longtime member of Getsemani Indonesian Lutheran Ministry in Riverside, Calif. David Nagler, bishop of the Pacifica Synod, led the vigil, at which participants prayed, sang and called for justice while holding signs that read “Free Evi” and “Faith Over Fear.”
Sihomping, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at her home in Loma Linda, Calif., on June 7 and remains in custody while her immigration case is pending.
According to vigil attendees, guards at the detention center shut its gates shortly after the vigil began, denying entry to family members who had driven hours to visit their loved ones inside. “It was heartbreaking to see those families turned away,” Nagler said afterward. “But our group stayed peaceful and prayerful. We know what we’re up against, and we’re not deterred—we’ll be back.”
The vigil coincided with the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Leaders Migration Justice Training, held Oct. 9–11 at Getsemani Indonesian and Eden Lutheran Church in Riverside.
The event marked a historic moment for API Lutherans publicly engaging in immigration justice, explained Teresita Valeriano, ELCA program director for Asian and Pacific Island Ministries, a member of the ELCA Ministries of Diverse Cultures and Communities team and a key organizer of the event. “This vigil is about freeing Evi and others detained unjustly, but it’s also about breaking the silence,” she said. “The API community refuses to be erased or quiet in the face of oppression. We stand in solidarity with our Black, Brown and Indigenous siblings for justice and dignity.”
“We want ICE officials and the wider public to see her humanity.”
Valeriano, who has created a guide for the ELCA to become a more culturally diverse and anti-racist church, added that the gathering represented a rejection of the “model minority myth.” The vigil, she said, was also a declaration that API communities, often unseen in immigration narratives, are directly impacted by ICE’s current actions and ready to act.
For Robert Waworuntu, pastor of Getsemani Indonesian, Sihomping’s case is a personal and spiritual call to action. “Behind every immigration case is a human being—a mother, a wife, a member of a faith community,” he said. “We want ICE officials and the wider public to see her humanity and recognize that immigration policies should be guided by empathy rather than punishment.”
Mary Campbell, program director of the ELCA’s AMMPARO initiative (Accompanying Migrants with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities), echoed that message, noting the urgency of addressing systemic injustice. “There’s a false assumption that undocumented people are only of Latin descent,” she said. “The reality is, many API immigrants like Evi are caught in this broken system with little access to fair legal support. The government needs to know that the faith community will not stay silent as families are torn apart.”
Despite what those gathered at Adelanto described as the processing center’s intimidation and attempts to silence them, vigil participants closed the evening in prayer—steadfast in faith, united in love and committed to returning until justice prevails.
Take action
To keep current on Sihomping’s case, to offer support and to stand in solidarity with the greater API community, contact Valeriano.
Email Kate Parsons, ELCA migration policy adviser, for information about contacting your representatives regarding the case.
You can also show Sihomping support by sending her a Christmas card at the following mailing address:
Evi Sarlita Sihomping
A 6476, Unit E1 D17 Low
10400 Rancho Road
Adelanto, CA 92301
