In response to escalating protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement following a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire has urged clergy to prepare their wills and affairs. Bishop Rob Hirschfeld's stark warning of a potential 'new era of martyrdom' has sparked both praise and criticism among fellow priests. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is readying 1,500 troops for possible deployment to Minnesota as tensions rise.
The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, Rob Hirschfeld, issued a sobering call to his clergy during a vigil in Concord on January 13, 2026, honoring Renee Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis just days earlier. Speaking out against what he described as the 'cruelty, the injustice and the horror … unleashed in Minneapolis,' Hirschfeld warned of 'a new era of martyrdom' and advised priests to 'get their affairs in order to make sure they have their wills written.' He emphasized that the time may have come for clergy to physically stand 'between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.'
Hirschfeld's remarks, made amid nationwide protests against ICE's intensified deportation efforts, quickly went viral. Reverend Jason Wells of St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Goffstown, New Hampshire, welcomed the message as a validation of the anxiety felt by faith leaders who have faced pepper spray, arrests, and rough handling during anti-ICE demonstrations. 'People feel like he's giving voice to a feeling in the pit of their stomach about what is going on,' Wells said. Similarly, Reverend Betsy Hess of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Berlin praised the call to action, noting that clergy must move beyond politeness and accept greater risks, though she admitted uncertainty about her own bravery.
Not all reactions were supportive. Reverend Tom Gartin of Faith Episcopal Church in Cameron Park, California, called the comments 'inflammatory' and a 'war cry,' arguing they contradict the Episcopal tradition of Via Media, or the middle path. 'I didn't sign up to be a martyr,' Gartin said, stressing the need for peacemaking over escalation.
The bishop stood by his words in an NPR interview, clarifying he did not intend to incite violence but to encourage living without fear of death. He referenced historical martyrs like Jonathan Daniels, a New Hampshire native killed in 1965 while protecting a Black teenager in Alabama. Hirschfeld expressed compassion even for ICE agents, praying for their 'conversion of heart.'
The broader context involves heightened federal action in Minnesota. President Donald Trump has deployed nearly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul since early last week, citing a need to combat crime and protect personnel amid protests. On Thursday, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if state officials fail to curb attacks on ICE. In response, the Pentagon has placed 1,500 soldiers from Alaska's 11th Airborne Division on prepare-to-deploy orders for potential escalation in the state. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, facing a Justice Department criminal investigation, has mobilized the state National Guard to aid local law enforcement.
A White House spokeswoman stated that interfering with federal law enforcement is a crime to be prosecuted fully, maintaining the shooting was self-defense. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin deemed Hirschfeld's martyrdom talk 'absurd' and urged support for ICE agents under attack.
Trump has linked the interventions to a scandal involving theft of federal welfare funds in Minnesota, particularly targeting the Somali immigrant community.
