Who are Quakers? Faith group marching 300 miles against Trump's immigration crackdown
Ross Brubeck and other members of the Quake marches to Washington (Image: AP)
A group of
Quakers
is marching more than 300 miles — from New York City to Washington, DC — to demonstrate against the
Trump administration
's treatment of immigrants.
Who are the Quakers?
Quakers are members of the
Religious Society of Friends
, a Christian group founded in 1650 by George Fox.
They believe in peace, fairness, and that everyone has a light from God inside them. They often protest peacefully to stand up for what they believe is right.
Historically, Quakers have held peaceful protests to end war and slavery and to support women's voting rights. Recently, they have sued the Federal government for a new rule that allowed immigration agents to arrest people inside places of worship, like churches or temples.
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The Quakers believe these places should be safe and protected, and that the government should not make arrests at houses of worship.
The Quakers are marching to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that US President
Donald Trump
's administration is targeting. They believe that immigrants are being unfairly targeted.
Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organiser, said, 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats.'
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'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American Experiment, the American dream," she added.
Starting their walk at a Quaker meeting house in Flushing, New York, they are planning to walk through New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania to the US Capitol in Washington, DC. After their arrival, they will deliver a copy of the Flushing Remonstrance- a 17th-century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship.
Quakers and Trump's Policies:
Earlier this year, five Quaker groups sued the Trump administration for allowing immigration officers to arrest people in churches. They were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. Following that, more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups filed a similar lawsuit, but a federal judge ruled against them.
During the presidential campaign, Trump asserted that immigrants are an existential threat to America. Immigration, both legally and illegally, has surged during former US President
Joe Biden
's administration.
After returning to the White House, Trump started taking strict actions against immigrants. He used his presidential powers extensively. Despite efforts by federal judges to limit his authority, he has continued to push it forward.
One of the marchers, Ross Brubeck, said, 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States.' He wanted to send a message to Trump: 'The power is not his to make.'
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