A man is in custody after the fatal shooting of a beloved Kansas priest
SENECA, Kansas — An Oklahoma man is being held on suspicion of fatally shooting a Catholic priest at a church rectory in northeast Kansas, authorities said.
Officers called to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca on Thursday afternoon found Arul Carasala with gunshot wounds outside the rectory, the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post . The 57-year-old priest was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died.
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Los Angeles Times
19 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Faith leaders come together to defend immigrant communities amid federal raids
More than a dozen religious leaders from an array of faiths marched to the steps of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night, flowers in hand, calling for an end to the federal immigration raids they say have torn families apart and resulted in racial profiling. At the start of the procession in Plaza Olvera, Rev. Tanya Lopez, senior pastor at Downey Memorial Christian Church, recounted how last week she watched as plainclothes federal agents swarmed a constituent in the parking lot of her church. Despite her attempts to intervene, she said, the man was detained and she doesn't know where he is now. 'All of our faith traditions teach us to love our neighbor, to leave the world with less suffering than when we find it, and this is creating trauma that will be unable to be undone for generations,' Lopez said. Federal enforcement actions have played out across Southern California this week as the Trump administration carries out its vows to do mass deportations of immigrants in the country without documentation. Initially, President Trump focused his rhetoric on undocumented immigrants who had committed violent crimes. But shortly after he took office, his administration made clear that they consider anyone in the country without authorization to be a criminal. The raids — which have spanned bus stops, Home Depot parking lots, swap meets, farms and factories — have prompted many immigrants to go into hiding, and in some cases, to self-deport. The religious leaders marching Wednesday called for a halt to the raids, saying immigrants are integral to the Los Angeles community and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of documentation status. They carried their message through downtown, marching from Plaza Olvera to the Federal Building, dressed in colorful garb reflecting Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and Catholic traditions, and uniting in song and prayer, in both Spanish and English. They called out to God, Creator, the Holy One, and prayed for healing and justice. They prayed for the hundreds of people who have been detained and deported and the families they've left behind. In the crowd, Talia Guppy held purple flowers to her chest as she sang along. Guppy said she learned that members of her Episcopalian church, St. Stephen's Hollywood, had been detained during the raid of the Ambiance Apparel factory. Her church has since moved its services online to accommodate people afraid to venture from their homes. 'We're out here for them,' she said. 'We're going to keep the hope and keep the faith until we get justice for them.' At the end of the procession, the marchers approached the steps of the Federal Building. Officers from the Department of Homeland Security poured out of the building and guarded the entrance as clergy leaders lined the steps. Inside, behind semi-reflective doors, rows of U.S. Marines stood at the ready. The leaders called for peace and laid flowers on the steps in tribute to those who have been detained. 'We come with flowers, and we will keep coming with flowers as long as our loved ones are held in cages,' said Valarie Kaur, a Sikh leader. She turned her attention to the officers at the doors, who stood stoic, and questioned how they wanted to be remembered by history. Then she placed flowers by their feet. In the crowd, protesters held signs with images of the Virgin Mary and Mexican flags. The clergy asked them to be ready to defend their neighbors in the coming days. Father Brendan Busse, a Jesuit priest at the Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, said he has felt the impact of the raids within his church. Devoted members are no longer in the pews. Others call asking if it is safe to come to church. The fear is palpable. 'We need to be a safe space for people, not just in our church, but in the whole neighborhood,' he said. 'I can't guarantee to anybody that we are a totally safe space, but to at least give them a sense that in the difficult moment we're at, that we stand together.' This article is part of The Times' equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California's economic divide.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘It's a risk to come to work, it's a risk not to': Terror and a touch of desperation in L.A.
Traffic may still be clogging Los Angeles freeways during rush hour, but in many sections of the city, daily life as it once was has come to a jolting halt. In the wake of widespread immigration raids across the region, fear and panic have settled across many communities in L.A., where one-third of residents are immigrants. For almost two weeks, social media has spilled over with videos capturing immigration agents at shopping centers and markets and on neighborhood streets, and federal agents making arrests at swap meets, car washes and other businesses. 'People are staying home from Mass and work, parks and stores are empty, the streets in many neighborhoods are silent,' Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said in an opinion piece for Angelus, a local Catholic news outlet. 'Families are staying behind locked doors, out of fear.' Businesses and workers are starting to feel the effects of these quieter streets — and it's unclear how long the situation could last as the Trump administration vows to continue stepping up deportation efforts. The Times on Wednesday visited several areas of Los Angeles that are typically bustling, only to find noticeably empty sidewalks and the owners and workers at food trucks, restaurants and clothing shops worried and struggling. ◆◆◆ At the 7th Street Produce Market in downtown L.A. on Wednesday morning, far fewer people than normal walked among the shops filling up plastic bags with vegetables and fruits. Several shops that are usually open were shuttered, and parking was plentiful. In the nearby Garment District — where a dramatic raid almost two weeks ago preceded a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across Southern California, sparking volatile protests — the streets were empty except for a handful of customers peeking into stores. Workers said there had been almost no business since the immigration raids began. 'It affecting everything; it's affecting all of us,' said Eva Ibrahim, 48, the owner of a shop that sells dresses and suits. For a few days after the initial raids, several shops closed because workers and customers seemed afraid to venture out. This week, many reopened, but workers lamented the lack of customers. 'It's like everything was paralyzed,' Ibrahim said. 'A lot of people don't want to come for fear they'll get nabbed.' Nearby, a new quinceñera and bridal shop was also quiet. The store's owner, Vilma, who declined to give her last name for fear of being targeted by federal agents, said it had been that way since the raids began. 'Everyone is scared,' she said. 'The way that ICE is going about these sweeps is terrifying people,' L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said Wednesday of what appeared to be an immigration operation at a Pasadena bus stop involving agents in unmarked vehicles. 'We have already seen kids not going to school, people avoiding shopping, church, and even going to work. I wouldn't be surprised if after people read about this incident that we see more people avoid taking Metro. 'This isn't right,' she said. 'The fear they are spreading is doing profound harm in our communities.' ◆◆◆ It's not just undocumented workers and shoppers who say they are afraid to go to work or shop downtown. Legal migrants with pending court proceedings are afraid of being detained by federal agents and having their immigration status ignored. People with valid student or work visas worry they could face deportation. Shop owners and workers said even legal residents and citizens had opted not to show up in recent days, worried that the Garment District, popular with migrants looking for deals, could be targeted again — or that they would be unfairly profiled based on their skin color. On Santee Street downtown, Jessica Flores cut onions at her food truck while waiting for customers. Usually, she said, she'd be taking orders nonstop on what has been a busy street for the last decade she's worked there. Instead, she's had to cut back her hours. 'I was left without people, and I still have to pay my bills and rent,' Flores said. 'It's sad.' A worker at a nearby shop echoed those concerns. The woman, who asked not to be named for fear of being targeted by immigration officials, said her hours and pay had been cut amid the downturn, but rent still needed to be paid and groceries bought. 'It's a risk to come to work, it's a risk not to come,' she said. By late Wednesday morning, she hadn't gotten a single customer. ◆◆◆ A taco vendor who typically sets up his stand near MacArthur Park said he shut down his stand last week as a precaution when he saw people were being detained across the city — and he remains closed. He asked that he not be identified because he's concerned he'll be targeted by immigration officials and has a 1-year-old son who needs him. But he's not the only one afraid, he said. Foot traffic where he usually sets up has been down for weeks, and on some days he's had to toss away pounds of food because there just aren't many folks around. In Boyle Heights, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass visited Mariachi Plaza earlier this week and found the area shockingly deserted. Arturo Aguilar said everything was still noticeably quiet. 'We're really slow, nobody's out in the street,' said the co-owner of Street Tacos and Grill near the plaza. Aguilar said a nearby restaurant had to close Wednesday because so many employees failed to show up. 'It is pretty profound to walk up and down the streets and to see the empty streets, it reminded me of COVID,' Bass told The Times on Sunday afternoon. But Aguilar said, for him, the dip in business was even worse than during the pandemic; at least then people were coming for takeout, ordering to go. 'They weren't scared to come out,' he said of 2020. But now? 'Everybody's just scared to come out, period,' Aguilar said.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. street life ‘paralyzed' as ICE raids keep shoppers away, close businesses
With federal immigration sweeps showing no signs of slowing across Southern California, there was growing concern from top officials, spiritual leaders and business owners that a climate of fear was sending more people underground and changing the rhythm of city life. Once-bustling immigrant hubs, including MacArthur Park, the Garment District, downtown's produce market and areas of the Eastside have seen a noticeable reduction in foot traffic over the last week, with some businesses forced to close as a result. It comes as social media is rife with videos of immigration agents making arrests at shopping centers, swap meets, car washes and other businesses. Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said he has been 'disturbed' by how many of these raids have been carried out, and how they've caused a deep panic among his majority-Latino parishioners. 'People are staying home from mass and work, parks and stores are empty, the streets in many neighborhoods are silent,' Gomez in an opinion piece for Angelus, a local Catholic news outlet. 'Families are staying behind locked doors, out of fear. ... This situation is not worthy of a great nation.' At the 7th Street Produce Market Wednesday morning, a spot usually bustling in the mornings with customers filling up plastic bags with vegetables and fruits — far fewer people than normal walked among the shops. Parking at the market was plentiful and several shops that are usually open were shuttered instead. 'Right now, with the immigration raids everything, no one is here,' said a security guard who asked not to be named. In the nearby Garment District — where this recent surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations began almost two weeks ago — the streets were empty except for a handful of customers peeking into stores. Workers there said there's been no business since the immigration raids began. 'It affecting everything, it's affecting all of us,' said Eva Ibrahim, 48, the owner of a shop that sells dresses and suits. For a few days after the initial raids, workers and customers seemed afraid to come in, so several shops just stayed closed. This week, many of them opened back up, but workers said there just aren't enough customers coming in. 'It's like everything was paralyzed,' Ibrahim said. '... A lot of people don't want come for fear they'll get nabbed.' The full economic toll of the raids is still difficult to calculate. But city and county officials are sounding alarms that it could be extensive — especially depending how long the stepped-up enforcement continues. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis on Tuesday got the county to agree to study how the recent immigration blitz had affected the economy, noting how many of the county's immigrants are petrified to leave their home. 'They are terrorized,' Solis said. 'You don't see them.' A few days ago, Mayor Karen Bass toured downtown's historic Mariachi Plaza, which was deserted, and Boyle Heights and said she was stunned. 'It's the uncertainty that continues that has an absolute economic impact. But it is pretty profound to walk up and down the streets and to see the empty streets, it reminded me of COVID,' Bass told The Times on Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said he has been 'disturbed' by how many of these raids have been carried out, and how they've caused a deep panic among his majority-Latino parishioners. 'People are staying home from mass and work, parks and stores are empty, the streets in many neighborhoods are silent,' Gomez said in an opinion piece for Angelus, a local Catholic news outlet. 'Families are staying behind locked doors, out of fear. ... This situation is not worthy of a great nation.' In the Angelus essay, Gomez appeared to question involving the military and admonished the White House for putting the nation's best ideals — which he described as being a 'beacon of hope for those seeking freedom and refuge from oppression — under fire. Earlier this week, an additional 2,000 National Guard members were activated and sent to L.A., joining a contingent of 3,000 National Guard and U.S. Marines already deployed to the area — against the wishes of state and local leaders. Mounting stress — and confusion — about the immigration raids runs up and down the state. The administration has said multiple things at once, including that it will target all undocumented immigrants and that it won't go after those working in agriculture and other vital industries. But then, in a social media post this week, President Trump said ICE deportation efforts in Los Angeles and other Democratic cities will grow. As ICE's presence in Southern California has grown, so has their opposition. In Pico Rivera, after federal agents carried out a string of arrests Tuesday, protestors marched on city streets. City leaders distanced themselves from the raids, raising concerns about 'warrantless stops' and 'operations that appear to target specific communities.' At a City Council meeting in Santa Ana, community members called for stronger policies to ensure the city's status as a 'sanctuary city' — the only such city in Orange County that limits cooperation with federal immigration officials, according to LAist. At one point, the city was exploring if its police could publicize alerts it receives from ICE, but the idea was ultimately tabled, citing legal issues, the Orange County Register reported. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, a Trump appointee, warned Santa Ana officials in writing to abandon the idea, saying it would 'not only hurt public safety, but it will also subject the city and its employees to potential criminal prosecution.' While cities look for ways to address community concerns and stay within the letter of the law, regular citizens and community activists have been opposing ICE agents wherever they can find them. In a video shared widely on social media, a Walmart employee in Pico Rivera was wrestled to the ground after authorities say he intervened in an ICE detention. In Pomona, activists rallied outside a hotel where they believed ICE agents were staying. Similar demonstrations have occured outside hotels near Los Angeles International Airport and Pasadena. Meanwhile, an interfaith group was planning a prayer walk through downtown L.A. Wednesday evening in support of family unity. 'Walking as public witness, we will unite in prayer, nonviolence, and unwavering solidarity with our immigrant neighbors,' the group said. Times staff writers Rebecca Ellis and Julia Wick contributed to this report.
