ICE Facility / Brooklyn Heights, OH
June 28, 2018
Greg Coleridge, Move to Amend Outreach Director
We are here to affirm Dignity, respect and humanity of all people. Immigrants are human beings — not aliens, criminals, animals. Dehumanizing people legitimizes violence and injustice toward those same people.
Immigration is a challenge, not a crisis
Between 1983 and 2006, according to the Border Patrol, the United States apprehended roughly one million—and sometimes as many as 1.5 million—undocumented immigrants per year along America’s southwest border. In fiscal year 2016, it was 408,000—less than half the number in 2009. In fiscal year 2017 (the first year under Trump), the figure plunged even lower: to 304,000.
Migrants who come are coming:
– To escape violence-plagued nations like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador — some of that caused by US policies that supported authoritarian leaders. Gangs, too, that threatened young people. Parents shipped them to US to survive.
– To escape harsh economic conditions, some of which caused by NAFTA which favored US farmers over Mexican farmers — who lost their farms and decided to come to US to work as migrant farmers
So if invasion of immigrants is not happened, what are the Trump administration’s motives for harsh treatment of immigrants at border and across country?
4 motives:
1. Play to Trump base, fan hysteria and fear – populism requires movement. Fear of immigrants, people of color, Muslims — nonwhites are convenient targets (“the other”).
2. Distract attention from policies, programs and investigations that hurt most people or shed light on what’s going on. Invasion of immigrants on border, black NFL players disrespecting the flag and dangerous Muslims entering the country engender fear and distract attention away from lies, broken promises, unjust policies, etc (i.e. border wall paid by Mexico, negotiating NAFTA, Russian investigation, tax reform that benefited wealthy, cutting heath care, bloated military budget, gutting the social/economic safety net, elimination of environmental protections, Stormy Daniels, etc.)
3. Militarization of society – police, secret service, military budget, borders (ICE). ICE has a long history of being abusive and unaccountable – from deliberately separating families to engaging in racial profiling and warrantless searches. It has also been the subject of more than 1,200 complaints of sexual and physical abuse since its inception in 2003.
4. Expand corporate profits – spend our tax money on corporate run prisons/detention facilities.
Zero tolerance, separation of families, indefinite detentions policies: not only play to Trump racist base, but are big business — not multimillion but billion dollar
– The Southwest Key Programs has won at least $955 million in federal contracts since 2015 to run shelters and provide other services to immigrant children in federal custody. Its shelter for migrant boys at a former Walmart Supercenter in South Texas has been the focus of nationwide scrutiny, but Southwest Key is but one player in the lucrative, secretive world of the migrant-shelter business. About a dozen contractors operate more than 30 facilities in Texas alone, with numerous others contracted for about 100 shelters in 16 other states. History of abuse [Source: http://inthesetimes.com/article/21234/private-prison-trump-family-separation-immigration-ice%5D
– Geo Group PAC and executives are major political contributors (tens of thousands of dollars) to Texas Congresspersons who support constructing more private detention facilities.
-Privatization transportation – General Dynamics and MVM, a longtime contractor for ICE and the U.S. Marshals. MVM has earned close to $200 million since 2014 for transportation services. CSI Aviation also charters a number of flights for deportation, under the banner “ICE Air.”
-Somebody has to finance all this activity, and that predictably falls to the big banks. A 2016 In The Public Interest report identified Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, U.S. Bancorp, Wells Fargo and SunTrust Bank as the primary lenders to private prison companies Geo Group and CoreCivic, providing $900 million in lines of credit for real estate financing and other business operations.
[Source: http://inthesetimes.com/article/21234/private-prison-trump-family-separation-immigration-ice%5D
What do we do?
1. Call Congress – Abolish ICE
Rep : 202-224-3121 / Portman, (216) 522-7095 / Brown, (216) 522-7272
Message: Every member of our community deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
That’s why, as someone who cares about human rights, I urge you to take immediate steps to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE has a long history of being abusive and unaccountable – from deliberately separating families to engaging in racial profiling and warrantless searches. It has also been the subject of more than 1,200 complaints of sexual and physical abuse since its inception in 2003. Funding this agency makes you – and all taxpayers – complicit in its human rights violations.
Diversity is a strength of our communities, and our immigration policies should reflect that. I call on you to abolish ICE and end its cruelty.
2. Tell Congress: restore Community Supervision program. Asylum seekers showed up for their proceedings at rates of between 97 and 99 percent
3. Address issue of violence in Central America
4. End unfair trade practices in Mexico – NAFTA
5. End corporate personhood / money as speech.
create real democracy 