In 2025, the Congregation Action Network (CAN) led powerful advocacy, public witness, and concrete support for immigrants and refugees. 

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### Mobilizing in Crisis: Faith Action and Solidarity

 

2025 saw extraordinary pressure on immigrant communities—with historic proposals for a $175 billion expansion of the U.S. deportation system and aggressive increases in ICE surveillance, including deployment of GPS ankle monitors for thousands of asylum seekers and migrants. CAN responded with an unwavering moral stance, supporting prophetic voices of clergy and mobilizing congregations to monitor ICE activity, accompany neighbors, and show up in solidarity at detention centers, hearings, and homes. CAN framed this crisis as a moral emergency, urging faith communities to reject cruel immigration policies and affirm the sacred dignity of all human beings.

 

Key advocacy moments included:

 

• Rallied in Solidarity With Kilmar Ábrego Garcia (July 7, 2025): CAN joined CASA and faith allies for a rally and press conference in support of Kilmar Ábrego Garcia and his family at the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, advocating for Kilmar's safe return after his forced deportation violated a standing court order.

• Continued court accompaniments and vigils for individuals facing ICE detention, with public witness deterring at least one arrest and strengthening community protection networks.

• Amplified calls from Catholic bishops for compassion, justice, and resistance to mass deportation, citing their involvement in legal advocacy and court support.

 

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### CAN Events and Vigils: Building Community and Hope

 

Regular presence at immigration courts, federal facilities, and designated “sensitive locations” bolstered protection for vulnerable members. Events were complemented by Know Your Rights trainings, digital security workshops, and live panels featuring attorneys and directly affected migrants. CAN led and supported the following public vigils, rallies, and action campaigns:

 

• May Day Rally (May 1, 2025): Co-organized a multi-faith demonstration for workers’ and immigrant rights, starting at Franklin Park and culminating in a rally at the White House. This action featured not only faith leaders but also union organizers and families impacted by both immigration enforcement and workplace disasters (such as the Baltimore bridge collapse).

• World Refugee Day (June 20, 2025):  Hosted and co-sponsored a rally and march in Washington, DC, to call for renewal of the U.S. refugee resettlement program. CAN delivered an Ecumenical Declaration for Refugees—signed by nearly 4,000 faith leaders—to the White House, calling for restoration of protection and an end to unjust bans and funding freezes.

• Rally for Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal (July 28, 2025): Organized a major march and vigil in downtown Baltimore after ICE detained Pastor Fuentes Espinal, highlighting the community trauma created when faith leaders are disappeared and emphasizing public witness, prayer, and protest as tools of hope.

 

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### Training, Protection, and Advocacy

 

CAN stood out by rapidly deploying its resources and community networks:

 

• Trained dozens of faith community members in constitutional rights, court accompaniment, and public witness, empowering congregational volunteers to serve as visible support and deterrence during hearings and federal encounters.

• Helped organize legal resource events on benefits, healthcare access, and public safety, partnering with attorneys and agencies to answer pressing questions for immigrant communities.

• Maintained a DC-area hotline for immediate reporting of ICE raids and enforcement actions to coordinate rapid response and community defense.

 

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### Rapid Response and Crisis Care

 

Urgent fundraising and coalition-building efforts were central to CAN’s mission in 2025:

 

• CAN’s September 25 fundraising event spotlighted the coalition’s capacity challenges: With only one full-time staff member, the network sought to hire another organizer and increase outreach to faith leaders across Maryland, DC, and Virginia. CAN members and other supporters donated $35,000 at this event.

• The network prioritized harm reduction—providing relief and support for deported families; raising funds for migrant shelters such as Albergue ABBA in Mexico; and delivering public advocacy for human rights defenders at risk abroad, such as El Salvador’s Ruth López.

• -CAN advocated for ongoing legal and legislative changes, pushing back against federal proposals like budget reconciliation bills that threatened healthcare, food assistance, and immigrants’ rights while vastly expanding resources for detention and deportation.

 

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### Interfaith Leadership and Movement Building

 

CAN continued weaving networks of care and collaboration:

 

• Gathered interfaith leaders and built partnerships with dozens of regional congregations, multiplying its power across the DMV area.

• Involved clergy in ecumenical and interfaith actions, asking them to show visible leadership—wearing vestments, leading prayers, and advocating for justice at rallies and vigils.

• Strengthened solidarity with groups such as CASA, Church World Service, Refugee Council USA, and numerous local synagogues, mosques, and churches.

 

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### Other Notable Accomplishments

 

• Organized and hosted more than 10 major events, rallies, and vigils addressing the crisis in immigration policy, abuses in detention, worker justice, and faith-based protection.

• Provided dozens of legal trainings and resource sessions for congregations and vulnerable community members.

• Maintained a consistent rapid response to ICE actions, including hotline support and immediate court accompaniment.

• Supported international causes by raising awareness and funds for human rights defenders and migrant shelters.

• Amplified public witness—clergy and lay leaders delivered prophetic messages of hope and resistance, countering political narratives of punishment and control.

 

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### Conclusion

 

In 2025, the Congregation Action Network navigated unrelenting threats and policy attacks with spiritual courage and layered action. Through rallies, vigils, legal defense, resource mobilization, and interfaith solidarity, CAN forged sacred spaces of hope and belonging for immigrants, refugees, and faith-rooted allies. With only modest staff and resources stretched to the breaking point, CAN’s volunteers, clergy, and supporter network remained steadfast—defending human rights, resisting cruelty, and nurturing collective resilience throughout the DC metro region.