PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Pinellas-Hillsborough Interfaith Coalition, a segment of the Florida Interfaith Coalition, has united with other advocacy groups in a call for reforms in immigration enforcement both within Florida and nationwide.

These groups have been organizing weekly vigils to highlight their advocacy efforts and draw attention to their cause.

Reverend Wesley Snedeker, associated with the Church of the Isles, United Church of Christ, is among the key organizers of these weekly gatherings. The coalition’s foremost demand is to offer spiritual support to individuals detained at the migrant detention center near the Everglades, infamously known as Alligator Alcatraz.

“We are witnessing the heartbreaking separation of families,” Snedeker expressed.

He further remarked, “There have been alarming reports of human rights violations in state detention facilities, particularly at the center referred to as Alligator Alcatraz.”

In mid-July, some migrants told The Associated Press they were being held in what they described as “zoo cages,” adding they were given toilets that would not flush, along with insects surrounding them and worms in their food. Shortly after, Florida Division of Emergency Management officials said those claims were false.

Protesters such as Brandt Robinson are also calling for an end to the detainment and deportation of non-violent criminals.

“The vast majority of undocumented immigrants to our country are doing the kinds of things that, frankly, a lot of us American citizens don’t want to do for a living,” Robinson said. “If you’re harvesting fruits and vegetables, if you’re processing our nation’s meat supplies, if you’re building the homes.”

Snedeker added to Robinson’s concern.

“Many of those folks end up living here in the United States as island citizens, working and paying taxes, who don’t have run-ins with law enforcement,” Snedeker said. “And these are some of the same folks that we’re seeing, who are detained.”

Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, the White House has said entering the country illegally is the initial crime.

“If you are an individual, a foreign national who illegally enters the United States of America, you are by definition a criminal, so therefore you are subject to deportation,” a White House official said.

Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins has also been open about his stance on assisting the federal government.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t have empathy,” Collins said. “That means we have to follow through it, which we told them we were going to do. People ran on the ballot to solve these problems, and if they aren’t putting those actions, those words into action, what are they doing?”

Leaders say the vigils will be held every Sunday from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Pinellas County Justice Center.