Faith leaders, community advocates, and immigrant rights groups from across California have joined forces to protest what they call the growing expansion of immigration detention facilities across the United States. As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to increase arrests nationwide, the agency has been opening or expanding detention centers in several states — including the new California City Detention Facility in the Mojave Desert and others as far away as Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz.

According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, nearly 60,000 migrants are currently held in ICE facilities — a sharp 60% increase compared to the same period last year.

In the Bay Area, where no ICE detention centers operate, detained immigrants are being sent far from home to facilities in Bakersfield, McFarland, and now California City, which has become the largest immigration detention center in the state.

But for faith leaders like Rev. Deborah Lee, executive director of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, the issue remains close to home. “This is an urgent moment — a crisis for civil rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, and our democracy,” she said, calling for moral action against what she described as “systemic violations of human rights.”

On a cloudy morning in Oakland, Lee gathered with faith leaders, activists, and immigrant families to begin a multi-day journey — a “pilgrimage” — to three privately operated ICE detention centers in Kern County. As they loaded buses with food, luggage, and supplies, the group prepared to meet local organizers and support families whose loved ones are currently detained.

“We want people to know about these facilities,” Lee said. “We want people to know the harm they’re causing — and to take action so they can’t keep growing unchecked.”

Their first stop was McFarland, a small farming community of about 14,000 people where Spanish is the primary language. There, just blocks from the local high school, sits the Golden State Annex Detention Facility — a site many residents want closed.

Gathered outside the gates, community members and traveling protesters shared speeches and songs. “I’m undocumented and unafraid!” declared Leonel Flores, an immigrant rights advocate from Fresno, to the cheering crowd. He condemned the existence of “unjust detention centers that should have been shut down long ago.”

A mother stepped forward to share her story, saying her son was detained despite fleeing violence. “He cannot return to Mexico,” she said in Spanish. “All our family members have been killed there.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently praised its expanding deportation capacity, citing new detention centers as part of a broader enforcement effort. “We are removing more criminal illegal aliens off our streets every day,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. But advocates argue the reality is different — with more than 70% of ICE detainees having no criminal record, according to TRAC data.

“We don’t need mass detention to ensure people attend court or submit asylum applications,” said Jehan Laner, a staff attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, who joined the rally. She noted that immigration violations are civil matters, not criminal offenses. “Detaining thousands of people who are simply navigating civil proceedings distorts what our Constitution promises,” Laner said.

The caravan continued to California City and Bakersfield, where protesters marched, prayed, and sang outside the Mesa Verde Detention Facility. Families who arrived for visits were reportedly turned away when the facility temporarily closed during the demonstration.

Among them was Steven Rodriguez, who said his mother was detained during a green card interview at San Francisco International Airport. “Instead of receiving her green card, she was taken away in handcuffs,” he said. “She’s lived here for decades, she’s never committed a crime — she’s a churchgoer, a volunteer, and a mother. Yet she’s being treated like a criminal.”

Despite the setbacks, spirits lifted when a detainee called the group via video from inside Mesa Verde. Rev. Lee held up the phone, allowing the crowd to hear the woman’s voice. “They’re so excited and grateful,” Lee announced. One by one, other women inside introduced themselves over the call, thanking the supporters for standing outside in solidarity.

For families denied visitation, it was an emotional few minutes — a brief but meaningful connection. “We were able to see her, just for a couple of minutes,” Rodriguez said, his voice breaking. “With everyone here, we feel stronger. We know this fight isn’t just about one family — it’s about justice for all.”