IRTF News

On June 27, 1954, a coup d’état deposed the democratically elected Soldado del Pueblo (Soldier of the People): President Jacobo Árbenz Guzman. He was the face of Guatemala’s democratic revolution, which began in 1944. The agrarian reform of 1952, redistributing unused land to landless Indigenous peasants, impacted the United Fruit Company (UFCO), the largest land owner in Guatemala, and U.S. foreign policy, as Cold War tensions grew. Collaborating with Guatemalan fascists, they plunged Guatemala into decades of U.S. backed dictatorships. On its 70th anniversary, we invite you to reflect with us on this counter-revolutionary event and what it might mean for Guatemala and the world today.

From February 1-6, 2025, Marco Rubio traveled to Central America for his first official visits as U.S. Secretary of State. With the exception of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Belize, every country hosted Rubio. His stated aim was “to advance President Trump’s America First foreign policy.” The four axes of this policy for the region are: migration, organized crime, China, and U.S. economic investment. These are part of his administration’s broad strategy to re-assert exclusive U.S. political and economic dominance in the region it has long considered its “back yard.”

The people of Guatemala continue to face the systematic and manufactured dispossession brought by capitalism and U.S. imperialism.

As Rubio’s visit demonstrates, the life of the people of Guatemala and the people of the United States is tightly interconnected—economically, (geo)politically, socially, ecologically. What happens here impacts there, and what happens there impacts here. For better or for worse. 

It’s time for a renewed internationalist solidarity movement with the people of Guatemala

As Trump returns to power, our new analysis exposes how U.S.-Guatemala agreements threaten vulnerable communities through mass deportations and exploitation of resources. Through powerful testimonies from Indigenous leaders fighting for territorial rights and messages of solidarity with the Guatemalan diaspora, we illuminate the transnational resistance taking root. From ADH’s fight for community water rights to CODIDENA’s successful resistance against mining extraction, these stories reveal how communities are protecting vital resources despite increasing pressure. Join our movement for justice that transcends borders — dive deeper into Guatemala’s ongoing struggle for sovereignty and dignity.

IRTF expresses deep gratitude to the staff of Trinity Cathedral (headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio) for hosting us. Thank you to all who took an active role in the prayer service, which was attended by 115 people from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian congregations (and others not affiliated with any faith congregations). Our interfaith solidarity work continues.

The Rev. Canon Adrienne Koch, Diocesan Liturgist, welcome those gathered and offered the opening prayer: 

We are gathered for worship today in the name of God who takes care of every creature as a father and as a mother; Who is on the side of the weak and those who are treated without justice; Whose Spirit gives us the capacity to give solidarity to those who suffer and the power to resist all that threatens and destroys life. We believe that our help comes from God who made heaven and earth. For that we bless God’s name forever.

IRTF invites any/all faith congregations to use this prayer service as template for designing their own. 

On March 7 2025, thirteen national and international faith-based organizations from the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions issued an “Interfaith Solidarity Statement on Refugees and Immigrants.”  That statement said, in part, “We stand united as people of faith in our commitments to welcome the stranger to care for the most vulnerable—commitments rooted in our common understanding of our Creator’s love for all and call to serve our neighbors.” 

The sacred writings of our world’s religions contain passages that address the issue of migrants (immigrants and refugees). They repeatedly instruct us to love our neighbor and show hospitality to the stranger.  In all of our traditions, walking with migrants is a matter of faithfulness.

In northeast Ohio, faith leaders from Islamic, Jewish, and Christian traditions have been signing onto an interfaith statement in support and defense of migrants. Faith leaders from any religious tradition are welcome to add their hame. Please contact brian@irtfcleveland.org or 216 961 0003. 

In April, immigration judges set two alarming records by closing over 11,000 asylum cases and denying 80% of them in a single month. An avalanche of asylum denials is just beginning.

By Melissa Berkey-Gerard

Bryan Stevenson says, “Everyone is more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.” Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, defends those who are unfairly imprisoned, especially those wrongfully condemned to death row in the US. He has dedicated his life to ending the injustice that is the death penalty. If we start with the belief that each person is deserving of grace and dignity, regardless of what they have done, we can imagine a different approach. A premise that people deserve a second chance, a real opportunity for transformation and restoration, healing from trauma and a way out of poverty. An outlook that recognizes that the current system both criminalizes poverty, and profits from incarceration.