Around 200 people gathered at Adath Israel Synagogue for a joint event Don’t Stand Idly. The event was sponsored by Adath Israel, Temple Sholom, Beth Adam, Valley Temple, Wise Temple, Rockdale Temple, and Northern Hills.
A panel featuring Congressman Greg Landsman (D), Holocaust scholar Dr. Sarah Crane, and immigration lawyer Nazly Mamedova discussed the current state of immigration and ICE actions. Rabbi Ari Jun moderated the panel, which answered several audience-submitted questions.
One of the main messages delivered from the panel is that the U.S. immigration system has been broken for years.
“What has been happening didn’t start yesterday,” said Mamedova. “It’s been leading to this, and part of it is definitely the politicization of immigration as an issue.”
“Immigrants, in general, have also been demonized by the media, which has caused further division,” she said.
According to Mamedova, the demonization of immigrants and undocumented immigrants got worse during the first Trump administration. One of the worst aspects of the policy was the separation of families of undocumented migrants at the border.
“If you remember, this was when they separated children and parents at the border, and then [ICE] could not find the parents, because they did it so quickly without planning,” she said. “DHS was still trying to find the whereabouts of those children two years ago.”
One of the main concerns raised by community members at the event was the escalation of violent tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis and across the U.S., including the deadly shootings of two unarmed civilians, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and how to hold ICE accountable and limit its actions.
“There is a public safety crisis that ICE has created that most people look at and say, we don’t want that,” said Landsman.
“There are several bills that we put forward that would rein in ICE, that would protect Americans and folks here who don’t have all of their documentation, including [the Protective Sensitive Locations Act],” said Landsman.
The Protective Sensitive Locations Act (H.R. 1061), was introduced in 2025, and would prohibit ICE from conducting enforcement actions in houses of worship, schools, and hospitals. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee last February, but hasn’t gone anywhere since then, per the Congressional record.
Landsman also said that House Democrats are currently withholding a vote related to ICE as they work to secure funding for what he described as the lawful functions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“The Department of Homeland Security Bill funds ICE, which we’re not comfortable supporting until there are major reforms,” he said.
“We want to fund the law-abiding aspects of DHS, the Secret Service, FEMA, Coast Guard, and the TSA,” said Landsman, “and we’re going to keep pushing them to fully fund those as we negotiate reining in ICE.”
Many community members have been concerned with language that to them is hyperbolic, using terms specific to the Holocaust to describe what is happening now. Several national commentators like Scott Galloway, author Stephen King, podcaster Joe Rogan, and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal have compared ICE to the Gestapo.
“We need to be careful because the only thing that can be compared to the Holocaust is the Holocaust,” said Dr. Crane. “This is something the field [Holocaust and genocide scholars] has felt true for a very long time. But at the same time, we have a generation of survivors who are passing, who have been telling us since the Holocaust ended, to pay attention to the lessons, and I think at their best, those lessons and those outcomes force us to ask questions about the world right now.”
According to Crane, using words that evoke the Holocaust is slightly different from just making blind comparisons. And when they are used, they often evoke a sense of scale.
“I find that when my students ask me about comparisons, a couple of things happen,” said Crane. “One is a question of responsibility and concern. Basically, should I be doing something? Should I be paying attention? Are we reaching a scale where I need to be involved in a way I have not been before? And I think Holocaust comparisons can evoke that.”
For Landsman, the current ICE crisis is wrapped up in a broader economic crisis in the country.
With the broader crisis showing no signs of slowing, some asked how they could fight the feeling of being overwhelmed.
“I’ve seen mostly really positive things in terms of [people] wanting to help. You know, people are going to Minneapolis, folks ready to help in Springfield,” said Landsman.
The Haitian refugee community in Springfield, Ohio, has faced increasing pressure from ICE and the federal government since the start of President Trump’s second term. Several community members in attendance asked what actions they could take to help vulnerable people in their communities.
One way all of the panelists agreed on was engaging in the political process.
“Make sure you register to vote. Make sure that no one has messed with your registration. Make sure that every single person that you know and care about is registered to vote, and that no one has messed with their registration,” said Landsman.
“Please call your representatives, not just federal, but also state [representatives],” said Mamedova. “There have been awful anti-immigration bills proposed in Ohio.”
The panel ended by highlighting another way to get involved: volunteering or supporting organizations that help vulnerable communities, such as the RAC (Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism) and the Springfield G92, an organization that mobilizes volunteers to support the Haitian community in Springfield.