YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Through prayer and protest Monday night outside Youngstown's private prison, more than 50 people supported the undocumented immigrants arrested after a raid in Salem last week. 

Some of those workers are locked up in that prison.

"America was founded in protest and we have to raise our voices. We become less human if we don't cry out against this injustice," said Jim Converse, a member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown.
 
Werner Lange of Newton Falls said during the vigil, "We can still speak up. They have taken some of our brothers and sisters, but let us put a stop to this madness, let us put a stop to this fascism."

People of different faiths spoke out including those who are Presbyterian, Jewish, and Unitarian Universalist.

"Are they hard working members of their community? If you were trying to flee a situation where your family was in danger, what would you do? Would you try by any means possible to get into the country, find a job, get working and then worry about the semantics later? Well, they've done that. Now let's put them on the road to citizenship.  They've earned it," said Tim Williams, a member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown.

Protesters carried signs that read "We are all immigrants," "Jailing immigrants hurts children and destroys families," and "God didn't make borders."

Members of the First Unitarian Universalist Church organized the vigil and said that their greater church has called for the abolition of ICE, claiming it no longer upholds its mission.

Williams went on to say, "By focusing on everyone instead of focusing on removing criminals, they are focusing on everyone, hard-working citizens of their community and that is wrong."

According to a statement released by ICE after the search, the arrests were part of a year-long, ongoing investigation "based on evidence that Fresh Mark may have knowingly hired illegal aliens at its meat processing and packaging facility, and that many of these aliens are utilizing fraudulent identification belonging to U.S. Citizens."

Gary Davenport discussed the church's stance by saying, "Because it (ICE) has committed crimes that are in the very least inhumane, concentration camps with children."

President Trump signed an executive order last week to put an end to the separation of families who cross the border illegally.