Palm Desert church hold candlelight vigil in response to ICE shootings in Minnesota

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert.

Attendees gathered in the front steps of St. Margaret's in "remembrance of those recently killed by ICE in Minnesota and in solidarity with immigrants, refugees, and all who live in fear. We gather to pray for the dead, comfort the grieving, and stand for justice, dignity, and compassion."

Father Andrew Butler, the rector at St. Margaret's, said this isn't a political issue but a moral one, and he says a key point in his faith is to respect the dignity of all human beings and said he felt a need to provide this space for people to pray. 

"There are protests going on all over the country and I felt like if some people protest, some people pray, so you can do both, but I felt like there was a need for the community to come together to pray for what's happening, just the violence, the rampant violence," Butler said.