17 Main Street
Durham, NH
03824
Acting Director Matthew T. Albence
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
500 12th St. SW
Washington, D.C. 20536
March 17, 2020
Re: ICE’s response to COVID-19: Release all people and cease enforcement operations.
Dear Acting Director Albence,
In view of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and the government’s belated response to it, we, the undersigned organizations, implore Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Matthew T. Albence to use his discretion to order the immediate release of all people detained in ICE custody. As people of faith and conscience, we are committed to the wellbeing of all our neighbors: especially those who’ve come to our country as refugees and immigrants. Jails, prisons and detention centers are sites where these friends are acutely vulnerable to health complications and the impact of outbreaks. We urge you to act on their behalf.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
500 12th St. SW
Washington, D.C. 20536
March 17, 2020
Re: ICE’s response to COVID-19: Release all people and cease enforcement operations.
Dear Acting Director Albence,
In view of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and the government’s belated response to it, we, the undersigned organizations, implore Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Matthew T. Albence to use his discretion to order the immediate release of all people detained in ICE custody. As people of faith and conscience, we are committed to the wellbeing of all our neighbors: especially those who’ve come to our country as refugees and immigrants. Jails, prisons and detention centers are sites where these friends are acutely vulnerable to health complications and the impact of outbreaks. We urge you to act on their behalf.
Our communities have witnessed the devastating effects of mass detention on people held in ICE facilities. Under the Trump administration, we have seen a notable increase in reported deaths in detention, an alarming trend that is tied to fatal medical neglect, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate resources for people detained. In just five months, at least eight lives have been lost in ICE custody-- already equaling the total number of people who died in detention in the entire previous fiscal year. In refusing to take even the most basic preventative measures, the government is continuing to put the lives of people in its custody at risk. This global pandemic demands immediate action to minimize the propagation of COVID-19.
In
light of this, we request that ICE immediately:
- Release all people currently detained in ICE custody;
- Cease all local enforcement operations;
- Eliminate ICE check-ins and mandatory court appearances.
- Release all people currently detained in ICE custody;
- Cease all local enforcement operations;
- Eliminate ICE check-ins and mandatory court appearances.
While
people remain in custody, we urge that ICE:
- Make phone and video calls free for people connecting with their loved ones and legal counsel;
- Ensure all facilities where people are detained in ICE custody, be it county jails or dedicated facilities, are prioritizing the health and well-being of people detained, including but not limited to: (1) directing staff not to utilize widespread lock-downs; (2) quarantining anyone who tests positive for the virus at a hospital, not at the prison or jail; (3) waiving all costs associated with soap, sanitizer, and other hygiene products; and (4) directing detention facility employees to stay home, with pay, if they feel sick.
We remain clear-eyed that it is imperative to immediately release all people in detention. Similarly we, the undersigned, remain committed to working within ecumenical and community networks to extend hospitality and care to neighbors and friends as they are released.
Sincerely,
- Make phone and video calls free for people connecting with their loved ones and legal counsel;
- Ensure all facilities where people are detained in ICE custody, be it county jails or dedicated facilities, are prioritizing the health and well-being of people detained, including but not limited to: (1) directing staff not to utilize widespread lock-downs; (2) quarantining anyone who tests positive for the virus at a hospital, not at the prison or jail; (3) waiving all costs associated with soap, sanitizer, and other hygiene products; and (4) directing detention facility employees to stay home, with pay, if they feel sick.
We remain clear-eyed that it is imperative to immediately release all people in detention. Similarly we, the undersigned, remain committed to working within ecumenical and community networks to extend hospitality and care to neighbors and friends as they are released.
Sincerely,
Audrey Drogseth, Chair
The Rev. Dave Grishaw-Jones, Pastor
The Church Council of the Community Church
of Durham, NH
DavidGJ@CCDurham.org
