On May 17th, PeaceWorks facilitated a forum with seven human rights and immigrant support organizations, including: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Amnesty International, Centro Comunitario CEUS, Movimiento Cosecha, First Friends, KIND, and the Northern NJ Sanctuary Coalition.

We learned about the challenges each group is facing in their work, and ideas for collaboration and mutual support and walked away with practical strategies to resist our government’s cruel policies and support our immigrant neighbors.

But the context in which this work is unfolding is dramatic. 

To open the forum, Attorney Alexandra Goncalves-Pena of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) walked us through some of the Trump administration’s most recent actions. (Please note that the situation is quickly evolving. Since the forum, the TPS status for Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans has been revoked and California’s National Guard and U.S. Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles):

Trump Administration is pursuing the most aggressive anti-immigration policy in recent memory. 

• Halting assistance, increasing deportations
• Targeted legal immigration (as well as undocumented)
• Attempting to reshape definition U.S. citizenship

Enhanced and refocused enforcement

• Border crossings are down, with the lowest arrivals in some time
• Administration is switching focus from border activities to the interior (i.e. deportations)

This didn’t happen overnight – “Expedited removal” laws were teed up by Clinton Administration two decades ago.

• Formally 14 days, now takes 2 years to process migration cases – 3 million case backlog
• Trump solution is to avoid judicial oversight
• Currently arrests rate is up to 600 arrests per day from 300+ in previous administration
• Target is 1,800 / day
• Currently 50,000 people are detained

• Increasing numbers will require increased ICE funding and Local Officers enlisted
• Federal government has tripled agreements with local agencies – up to 400 Agencies
• Increased registration of immigrants

TPS (Temporary Protective Status) withdrawal and refugee program closer

• People leaving their country of origin to escape civil & man-made disasters
• 14,000 Afghans had status revoked (for example)
• 500,000 TPS recipients now subject to loss of work authorization and subject to removal
• Program cancelled – affecting 10,000 refugees
• Terminate asylum cases
• Loss of support by clinics

Impacts Lawful Immigration – Student

• Foreign student termination
- forced brain drain from US universities and companies
• Revoke residencies
• Reduced Visa processing
• Canada and UK have issued travel advisories resulting in12% reduction in travel

Attacks on Immigrant Communities

• Social Security Terminated
• Money for legal support withheld
• English only executive order has implications: e.g. translation services no longer
• available

Constitutional implications Rule of Law being tested in 3 major cases

• Redefinition of birthright citizenship
• Abrego Garcia’s deportation to CECOT in El Salvador
• Use of Alien Enemies Act to deny due process

Getting involved All of the organizations are mobilizing in different ways to respond to this climate of fear and uncertainty. They gave us clear actions that each of us can make based on our abilities, resources, and time limitations.

In particular, join PeaceWorks on Wednesday mornings from 10am-noon in front Delaney Hall, the private ICE detention center.

1. Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) has turned to a whole new army of pro-bono attorneys in New Jersey and across the US to shepherd unaccompanied, undocumented children through the byzantine immigration process. Are you an attorney or have legal support skills? Reach out to KIND: ​​infonewark@supportkind.org
2. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) asks us to call our reps and urge them to pass the the Immigrant Trust Act.  This legislation would allow people to seek public services (education, medical, etc.) regardless of their immigration status. To find your state rep, type in your home address here: https://www.njlcv.org/find, then start calling.
3. Amnesty International has petitions and instructions to lobby officials to stop the government’s assault on freedom of expression and cruel family separation policies. For more information, check out www.amnestyusa.org or contact the NJ chapter at: northjerseyaiusa@gmail.com    
4. Centro Comunitario CEUS, which provides direct assistance to Latino immigrants in Northern NJ, including legal assistance, asked for support for growing healthcare needs. Anyone with a medical background with a few hours to donate can contact  info@ceusnj.org
5. Northern NJ Sanctuary Coalition needs help with a range of immigrant support services. Have a few hours to accompany a child enrolling in school, a migrant who needs to meet with an attorney, or a family trying to fill out school paperwork? Contact: nnjsanctuary.org for more info.
6. First Friends and Movimiento Cosecha (along with Pax Christy NJ) are asking us to step up to keep #EyesOnIce. (Info below). Check out their websites for more volunteer opportunities:  info@firstfriendsnjny.org

For more details on the forum and getting involved, contact PeaceWorks board member Guy Talbot.