ICE Nationally and Locally
ICE Update
PROBLEM: ICE is still regularly taking our neighbors from the greater Kennett / Oxford areas.
Many of us have not seen ICE or been impacted personally. Our families are intact and we are not at risk of the income-earner in our family being taken away by our government at a moment’s notice, with little knowledge of where they have been taken and if we will ever see them again. Conditions in detention facilities are cruel and inhumane and designed to force people to self-deport and increase profits for private prisons. We must not look away. Fresh Air / NPR: Investigative journalist reports on the abuse inside ICE’s largest detention facility
Our neighbors, in the greater Kennett / Oxford areas, are living in fear – only venturing out of their homes to go to work or school – but otherwise staying out of sight.
It is also hard to find information on ICE activity and the resistance efforts, locally. Please read on to find out about some of the important work going on in our area..
Thank You For Caring
Abolish ICE
HONOR LORENZO and JOHAN
Our government has killed two men who were loving fathers and loved by their families. They are not the only ones. We must ask ourselves what can we do stop ICE. What can we do to honor Lorenzo and Johan.
In Nov, we must be part of a massive voter turnout.
Now, we must act with our time and our dollars to make at least a small difference to those who are being targeted and attacked. People should not be killed for driving to work and having brown skin. We must not go on as if this is normal.
Watch Solidarity recording in their honor.
Go to justice4lorenzoandjohan.org to find all the resources you will need, along with a petition to sign and GoFundMe links.
Your Voice Matters. Your Vote Matters. Be part of the massive voter turnout in NOV to start reining in the destructive actions of ICE.
HELP ELDER
Hello friends-
We are asking for your help for Elder. He is an 18 yr old young man being held at Winn Correction Center in Louisiana. Carlos Della Valle, of Downingtown, was held in the same unit and tried to help keep Elder’s spirits up while they were held in detention together.
Carlos, grateful to be recently released, is worried about Elder. Carlos and his wife Angela and others here in PA are working desperately to build a coalition of people trying to get Elder released. Please read more here in this Propublica article about Elder and Carlos.
Please consider donating to help Elder. ALL FUNDS will support Elder’s legal fees and commissary account (for phone calls and food). Thank you for your compassion and generosity.
Learn more at FreeElder.net
We must not look away. Fresh Air / NPR: Investigative journalist reports on the abuse inside ICE’s largest detention facility
WHAT ARE PEOPLE DOING LOCALLY TO HELP?
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- Education – a five-part Lenten series attended by over 60 people each week was held at local churches to provide education about immigration actions here in Southern Chester County. Additionally, a monthly rapid response training has been critical for connecting with volunteers. Contact KAD for more info.
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- Courtwatch – ICE has been recorded during multiple detentions monthly at the Kennett/Oxford courthouses. Dedicated volunteers can tell you what it is like to see our government treat immigrant neighbors and US citizens as the enemy. As a direct result of the work of volunteers, families of those taken are quickly notified and in several instances same-day filing of Habeas Corpus petitions have resulted in two people being recently released. All the commitment to helping is making a difference to our neighbors.
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- Mutual Aid – supporting families, who have had a loved-one taken, with food, diapers, legal support, transportation to check-ins, etc.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
★ Express Gratitude
Thank the person fixing your roof, cutting your grass, and cleaning your home. Due to our broken immigration system there are not enough work visas available for people without money or professional degrees. There is a good chance the person working for you is undocumented. Thank them for their hard work and dedication. Listen to this WHYY report on the Kennett mushroom industry and how it is impacted by immigration policy.
★ Get Educated, Volunteer and Raise Awareness
Contact KAD for more information. Wonder what it is really like in a detention facility? Read daily journal updates of local Downingtown man’s life in a Louisiana former prison (scroll down to “Updates” section).
★ DONATE
Money is needed to help stabilize families left in distress by our government. Intact, functioning families with a responsible, hard-working wage earner are being torn apart and left vulnerable. Please donate to Kennett Friends Funds for Immigrants (if donating online, make sure tip = $0 to ensure all money goes to help our neighbors).
Thank your for all you do. We need your help and your compassion.