Episcopal Protest of TCDF in Estancia

On June 1, 2025, a group of roughly 100 protesters (including local Torrance County residents), leadership from the Episcopal Church, and members of the non-profit Volunteers for Immigrants in Detention-Albuquerque (VIDA) met at Arthur Park in Estancia to protest the Torrance County Detention Facility (TCDF). The group included multiple bishops from the Episcopal Church, including the Right Reverend Michael B. Hunn, Bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, Reverend Leeann Culbreath, and Reverend Michael Wallins. Estancia Mayor Nathan Dial was present at the event to advise the group that it was welcome to use Arthur Park.

Attendees gathered in a circle for the prayer service led by Episcopal Bishop Rt. Rev. Michael Hunn in Estancia's Arthur Park. - Todd Brogowski/Mountainair Dispatch

Before a prayer service led by Bishop Hunn, Reverand Culbreath explained that they sought equal justice under the law for immigrants. Bishop Hunn made similar remarks during the prayer service.

Rt. Rev. Michael B. Hunn, Episcopal Bishop of the Rio Grande Diocese

"We cannot pretend that the right to a fair hearing or the principle of habeas corpus applies only to those with a US passport. That is not what justice looks like. That is not what love looks like. And I say this not as a lawyer or a politician, but as a bishop of the Church. We must treat one another with dignity because we are all created in the image of God. We must treat one another as precious children of God because that is what we are. It is a Christian principle that we treat every person with dignity."--Rt. Rev. Michael B. Hunn

Mountainair resident Anne Ravenstone and other attendees of the prayer service - Todd Brogowski/Mountainair Dispatch

During the service, Hunn quoted writings by Roman Catholic Saint Bishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated by a fascist death squad in El Salvador in 1980 (these fascist death squads remain active and supported by the current Salvadoran regime). See Javier Urbina, Grupos de exterminio continuarían activos en el Salvador, según especialistas, La Prensa Grafica (Mar. 11, 2024) (link). Romero, Hunn stated, wrote, "If I address political matters, it is because the political reality has touched the lives of those God loves." Hunn said he did not just pray for those detained at TCDF, but also for the guards who patrol the facility operated by CoreCivic. Echoing the psychological concept of moral injury, Hunn said,

"And we are here not only for the sake of those detained. We are here also for those who work inside. They are public servants, trying to do what they believe is right. They are our neighbors also; our parishioners, fellow followers of Jesus. I want to say clearly: I give thanks for every law enforcement officer who serves this country with integrity and sacrifice. They do difficult and often dangerous work on our behalf. But I also know that when people are asked to do what they know is wrong, damage is done to the soul."

Rev. Leeann Culbreath speaking to the group assembled at Arthur Park - Todd Brogowski/Mountainair Dispatch

Rev. Culbreath said after the service that the group intended to conduct a 5-day "migration with dignity" pilgrimage to detention facilities throughout New Mexico and Texas. Culbreath stressed the harm caused by detention facilities, "Studies show that detention, a form of incarceration, inflicts lasting psychological and physical harm, especially on children who are detained or have a parent detained."

Update June 12,2025 5:06 PM: adjusted language to reflect that Mayor Nathan Dial was present at the event to let the protesters know they were welcome to use the location for their event rather than to join in the protest.

Update June 12, 2025 7:16 PM: fixed inaccurate date in first paragraph