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Rally goers expressed fear, anger and concern that a pastor has been “ripped� from his congregation, three children and wife. Espinal, originally from Honduras, has been in Easton for 24 years. He has been the pastor at Iglesia del Nazareno Jesús Te Ama since 2015.

Jim Bruce, a member of the Talbot County Democratic Forum communications committee, attributed the crowd size on the corner of Route 50 and Dover Street to the incredible media attention Espinal’s case has received. Bruce said he normally knows a majority of the people who attend these events, but he saw new faces Friday night.

“There are some I don’t recognize at all. So, I mean, I think the press is what did this,� Bruce said.

Religious leaders and concerned citizens came out to show their support, including the Rev. Jessica Stehle of Easton Christ Church, who said she felt called to action to come support Espinal.

“It’s hurting our hearts, and it’s calling us to action,� she said.

ICE said in a statement to Â鶹´«Ã½ that Espinal overstayed a six-month visa by 24 years.

Espinal has no criminal record and has been attempting to obtain citizenship legally for years, according to his daughter Clarissa Fuentes Diaz.

Espinal’s arrest comes amid a push by the Trump administration to step up immigration enforcement. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated he is out to get “the worst of the worst,� promising a mass deportation that targeted criminals.

Many in attendance Friday pointed to Espinal’s lack of criminal record.

“President Trump told the American public ‘we’re going to go for the worst of the worst,’ and clearly they’re not doing that,� Bruce said.

“He needs impact, so he’s picking people who’ve been here a long time, who are well known in the community,� he said.

U.S. Customs and Immigration data from June 29 shows a recent shift from focusing mainly on those with criminal records to arresting those without a record. Out of 57,861 people detained by ICE, 41,495 had no criminal convictions.

Members of the Trump administration have said since the data’s release that their priority remains deporting those who have committed crimes.

Those at the protest Friday raised signs that read “MELT ICE stop the kidnappings,� “‘WORST OF THE WORST?’ Rev. Daniel = BEST of the BEST,� and “YALL KNOW JESUS WAS BROWN RIGHT?�

Sydney Bradner Jacobs, chair of the Dorchester County Democratic Central Committee, said she and the rest of the committee canceled happy hour to be there.

“We decided to come out here and support and stand in solidarity with our friends in Talbot because it’s not a happy hour when one of our own is deported without due process,� Bradner said.

Espinal was initially taken to Salisbury, transferred to Baltimore and is now in an ICE detention center in Louisiana where he is waiting for his first hearing where his family hopes he will be released on bond.

A GoFundMe to support the pastor’s mounting legal fees was created on Thursday and has already far surpassed its initial goal of $15,000. The new goal is set for $40,000 and the fund currently stands at $26,033 as of 8:30 p.m..

These fees, in other circumstances, can often be provided by local nonprofits.

The Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center keeps an emergency fund for situations like Espinal’s that is typically kept at $10,000. President of the Talbot County Democratic Forum Michele Dappert said the funds have been significantly depleted due to the drastic increase in ICE-related arrests.

“We need help,� Dappert said. “People should also donate to the MRC (multicultural resource center). If you have legal expertise, they could also use volunteers to serve as lawyers.�