Honoring Immigrant Workers
August 2-August 9, 2025
What a powerful thing it is to bear witness. What strength there is when we do it in numbers.
From August 2-9, Rural & Migrant Ministry led a statewide caravan — Save New York’s Rural Economy: A Journey of Empathy — to foster an appreciation for immigrants by holding up their humanity and emphasizing their essential contributions to New York’s rural economy and agriculture. Our goal: To change the narrative surrounding immigration, and to deliver a message of love to policymakers caught in the vitriol of denying the humanity of immigrants — and in turn, destroying our communities, damaging our economy and threatening our collective wellbeing. Along the way, we encountered righteous people and heard stories of humanity that we will never forget.
Throughout the week, nearly 2,000 people joined our core group of 15 RMM staffers, volunteers and allies. With signs and songs, prayers by Eastern Long Island clergy members, and the good wishes of the community, we departed from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton, where the Rev. Ben Shambaugh blessed each of our cars with holy water. Including our allies, we set out with nearly 30 vehicles.
Our 1,000-mile journey from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Erie took us through communities across New York State, from the South Fork of Long Island, through the Hudson Valley and Capitol District to the North Country, along the Canadian border, all the way to Buffalo. Along the way, we supported local businesses, and led 50 vigils at farms and farmers markets; historically significant locations such at the Harriet Tubman Home, Frederick Douglass Burial Site, Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter (a World War II internment camp) and the Women’s Rights National Historical Park; churches and synagogues; Congress members’ offices, courthouses and colleges; parks and nursing homes; state welcome centers, child care centers and federal detention centers.
We took this journey because a critical conversation is taking place right now in Washington, D.C., and across the country about the treatment of immigrants, and specifically, farmworkers. True to our mission, RMM has sought to uphold the truth that our communities are far stronger when we are cherishing one another than when we are abducting people. Our Caravan drew attention to this debate, not as a form of protest, but as a public witnessing that was carried out as much in the traveling from place to place as in the vigils themselves.
People took notice: At every stop, we were enthusiastically received by community members who share our call to justice. We were greeted with cheers and applause; passing traffic honked in support of our sign-covered vehicles, flashing peace signs and thumbs-up. In the Hudson Valley City of Kingston, we were welcomed at Old Dutch Church by nearly 200 souls and a marching band! Most everywhere, folks went out of their way to thank us for being among them and calling attention to the oppression of immigrants, and the destruction of rural economies brought about by their persecution. Some 20 media outlets featured the Caravan — in print, on the radio, on television, and on social media — amplifying our message even further (see story links, below).
We were also met, infrequently, with opposition: Occasional jeering, taunting, name-calling, and in one instance, being chased by a loud car with a Trump flag that encircled us at a gas station. But for each case of aggression, there were nine instances of love, welcome, acceptance and gratitude for our arrival. We know that the haters may be loud, but they are outnumbered. And they only served to strengthen our resolve to share a message of hope.
As we traveled down the two-lane backroads of New York’s border towns, we knew without a doubt that we were in rural America — where pickup trucks with flag decals share the road with Amish horse-drawn buggies, and roughly every third station on the radio dial plays country music, evangelical programming, or Canadian broadcasts of yacht rock.
Passing through North Country towns with names like Richville, Parishville and Louisville, we took in the expansive geometry of corn and vegetable fields. Modest ranch houses, mobile homes and farmhouses dot the landscape, many with peeling paint and rotted wood, bearing the scars of poverty and neglect — contrasting with occasional, new-construction homes with tidy lawns and wraparound porches. Fully 95 percent of the faces we encountered were white, as the demographics also show; many are poor. In St. Lawrence County for example — represented by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik — the poverty rate is more than 19 percent, nearly double the national average.
Across isolated communities throughout the state, we were struck by the effort and determination of so many people who seek justice; they imbued us with energy, inspiration and the will to continue our work. And, importantly, the Caravan helped us build support and partnership for RMM’s ongoing programs.
As we ended the Caravan at Trinity Church in Buffalo, we — and the people we traveled and gathered with — remained determined to continue the journey of working for justice. We will not back down from our call for empathy and justice, because this work is too important, and there is too much at stake. To all those who participated in the Caravan, we are beyond grateful for your collaboration, your support, and your heart. To those who were unable to journey with us, we invite you to join us in our work by becoming involved with RMM. Visit our website, ruralmigrantministry.org, to sign up for our newsletter, learn about our programs and volunteer opportunities, listen to our Caravan podcast or make a financial contribution.
We are deeply indebted to those who served as coordinators, day captains, legal observers, speakers, musicians, singers, overnight hosts, meal providers, those who opened their spaces to us, and countless others who worked alongside us to deliver a message of hope. We are also profoundly grateful to the clergy members, congregants,, elected officials, RMM Board members, former Board members and Senior Fellows who joined us along the way.
We’d like to thank the Immigration Research Initiative for their partnership and for providing important information about the effects of mass deportations on New York farms and communities, as well as data about agriculture across the state. (Some facts and figures from IRI: There are an estimated 57,000-67,000 farmworkers in New York, and more than 30,000 farms; the market value of New York agriculture is $8 billion each year; New York State is the country’s No. 1 producer of yogurt, No. 2 producer of apples, No. 2 producer of wine and No. 5 producer of milk.)
A number of co-sponsors also joined RMM in the Caravan initiative: New York State Catholic Conference, Episcopal Diocese of New York, Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, Interfaith Center of New York, Saratoga Immigration Coalition, Interfaith Public Health Network, New York State Council of Churches, Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation and the AFL-CIO. We are grateful for their support and their sponsorship.
Media features:
East End Beacon:
27east.com (The Southampton Press — p. C5, Community section)
Daily Catch:
Channel 7 Watertown — WWNY-TV:
https://www.wwnytv.com/2025/08/07/empathy-caravan-rolls-through-watertown
Plattsburgh Press-Republican (pay wall):
North Country Now/North Country This Week:
NNY360.com (Watertown Daily Times/Ogdensburg Journal):
Finger Lakes Times:
https://www.fltimes.com/photos/a-journey-of-empathy/image_16e33913-b4b3-48a5-9b31-b394a169ccd2.html
https://www.fltimes.com/photos/a-journey-of-empathy/image_695e5de3-1bb5-47f9-9fbd-1cc69e7afd4d.html
North Country Public Radio:
Daily Freeman:
Palladium Times:
El Mensajero:
The Daily News Online (Batavia):
Catholic Courier:
*Video report from former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran (now on Substack), expected in early September.
Daily schedules
Saturday, August 2: East End of Long Island — Kickoff at noon
- Starting at 12 pm: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church — 18 James Ln., East Hampton, NY 11937
- Vigil — 1 pm: Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center — 551 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton, NY 11932
- Refreshment stop — 2:45 pm: Amandla Rural Worker Education Center (RMM facility) — 573 Roanoke Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901
- Vigil — 3:30 pm: CAST (Center for Advocacy Support Transformation) — 53930 Main Road, Southold, NY 11971
- Vigil — 4:45 pm: St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church — 523 Front St, Greenport, NY 11944
- Dinner and Vespers — 5:30 pm: Orient Congregational Church — 23045 Main Rd., Orient, NY 11957
Sunday, August 3: Chester to New Paltz — Begin at noon
- Starting at 12 pm: Lunch: Chester Agricultural Center — 8 Greycourt Avenue, Chester NY 10918
- Vigil — 1 pm: Orange County Jail (Federal Detention Facility) — 110 Wells Farm Road, Goshen, NY 10924
- Vigil — 2 pm: Thrall Park — 21 Grove St., Middletown, NY 10940
- Refreshment stop —3:30 pm: Temple Beth Jacob — 290 North St, Newburgh, NY 12550
- Vigil — 4:45 pm: Taconic Rehab & Nursing Center — One Wingate Way, Highland, NY (park in Bridgeview Plaza)
- Dinner and Vespers — 5:45 pm: New Paltz Reformed Church — 92 Huguenot St. New Paltz, NY 12561
Monday, August 4: New Paltz to Albany — Begin at 9 a.m.
- Starting at 9 am: New Paltz United Methodist Church — 1 Grove Street (at Main Street)
- Vigil — 10 am: Davenport Farm Market — 3411 Rt. 209, Stone Ridge NY 12484
- Vigil — 10:30 am: Office of Congressman Pat Ryan (D), NY-18 — 20 Broadway, 2nd ofloor, Kingston NY 12401
- Lunch — 12 pm: Old Dutch Church of Kingston — 272 Wall St., Kingston, NY 12401
- Vigil — 1:15 pm: Ulster County Courthouse — 285 Wall St, Kingston, NY 12401
- Vigil — 2:15: Church of the Messiah — 6436 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
- Vigil — 3:30 pm: St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church — 1025 Kinderhook St., Valatie, NY 12184
- Dinner and Vespers — 5:30 pm: St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church — 900 Madison Ave., Albany, NY 12208
Tuesday, August 5: Albany to Champlain — Begin at 9 a.m.
- Starting at 9 am: New York State Capitol — State St. and Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12224
- Vigil — 9:45 am: Laudato Si’ Center for Integral Ecology, Siena University — 515 Loudon Rd, Loudonville, NY 12211 (Grotto)
- Lunch — 11:30 am: Presbyterian-United Church of Christ — 24 Circular St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
- Vigil — 3 pm: Old County Court House — Route 9, Elizabethtown, NY
- Vigil — 4:30 pm: Office of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R), NY-21 — 137 Margaret Street, Suite 100, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Wednesday, August 6: Champlain to Ogdensburg — Begin at 9 a.m.
- Starting at 9 am: Perry Mills Road (near Roxham Road border crossing) — Perry Mills, NY
- Vigil — 11 am: Ives Park Pavilion — 3 Riverview Dr, Potsdam, NY 13676
- Lunch — 12:15 pm: Emmanuel Congregational United Church of Christ — 39 W Orvis St, Massena, NY 13662
- Vigil — 2:30 pm: North Country Neighbors for Civic Engagement — Main & Park St., Canton, NY (Rt. 11)
- Vigil — 4:30 pm: Route 37 Crash Site, Louisville, NY
- Dinner — 6 pm: Library Park: 312 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY
Thursday, August 7: Ogdensburg to Oswego — Begin at 9 a.m.
- Starting at 9 am: Library Park: 312 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY
- Vigil — 9:20 am: Office of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R), NY-21 — 330 Ford Street, Suite B8, Ogdensburg
- Vigil — 10:15 am: Thousand Island Bridge/Welcome Center/New Border Patrol Office — 43350 Collins Landing Road (near the Thousand Island Bridge), Alexandria Bay, NY 13607
- Lunch — 12 pm: Thompson Park — 34 Thompson Park, Watertown, NY 13601
- Vigil — 2 pm: Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site (Memorial Grove) — Market Square Park, 504 West Main St., Sackets Harbor, NY
- Vigil — 4:30 pm: Oswego Farmers Market — 212 W. 1st St., Oswego, NY 13126
- Dinner and Vespers — 5:45 pm: Faith United Church — 12 Mark Fitzgibbons Dr., Oswego, NY
Friday, August 8: Oswego to Rochester — Begin at 9 a.m.
- Starting at 9 am: Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter (Internment Camp)/Fort Ontario — 1 E. 4th St., Oswego, NY 13126
- Vigil — 10:30 am: Harriet Tubman House — 180 South St., Auburn, NY 13021
- Lunch — 11:30 am: Women’s Rights National Historical Park — 136 Fall St., Seneca Falls, NY 13148
- Vigil — 1:30 pm: Finger Lakes Welcome Center — 35 Lake Front Dr., Geneva, NY 14456
- Vigil — 3:30 pm: Wayne County Fair — 300 W Jackson St, Palmyra
- Dinner, 5:30 pm/Vespers 7:30pm: First Unitarian Church of Rochester — 220 S. Winton Rd., Rochester, NY 14610
Saturday, August 9: Rochester to Buffalo — Begin at 9 a.m.
- Starting at 9 am: Temple Sinai — 363 Penfield Rd, Rochester, NY 14625
- Vigil — 10 am: Frederick Douglass Burial Site — 1133 Mt. Hope Ave, Rochester, NY 14620
- Vigil — 11:30 am: Batavia Detention Facility — 4250 Federal Dr, Batavia, NY 14020
- Lunch — 1:15 pm: Pullman Memorial Universalist Church — 10 East Park Street, Albion, NY 14411
- Vigil — 3:15 pm: Office of Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R), NY-24 — 169 Niagara Street, Lockport, NY 14094
- End in Buffalo — 4:15 pm: Trinity Episcopal Church — 371 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY