Bundled in a warm jacket and gloves, a laminated paper sign hanging from his neck, Al Nodarse stood among a sea of faith leaders and congregants outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the South Waterfront holding a small battery-powered candle. The sign bore the name of his close friend, Danny Quach, who is currently detained by ICE.

As the holiday season begins, Nodarse — like many gathered — said he has felt the weight of heightened immigration enforcement and the tension surrounding ICE’s presence in Portland. Monday’s vigil took the form of a Blue Christmas service, a tradition meant to offer space for grief and heaviness during a time typically associated with joy.

Clergy members and community participants walked from Elizabeth Caruthers Park to the Portlan

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