By renewing the contract with ICE we are supporting the criminalization of immigrants, we support the raids, we support the broken immigration policies that make them criminals. But they are not.

We cannot be oblivious to the fact that people have been migrating since the beginning of humanity. My grandfather migrated to South America from Europe to flee poverty and war, my husband’s family fled political violence, and maybe my children or their children would migrate too. There is nothing wrong in migrating. It is good that there are countries around the world which are willing to offer a safe haven for vulnerable people. People migrate for persecution in their countries of origin or sometimes they flee poverty. We cannot treat people who migrate as criminals. There is no justification for the implementation of cruel policies like incarcerating children and not only separating them from their parents but also losing the information to make their reunification impossible. That is criminal. Let’s embrace humanity and separate us from cruelty.

Hudson County and Essex County will have the opportunity to separate themselves from cruelty by not renewing a contract with ICE, an institution which has been implementing inhuman policies for decades. Please choose not to profit from the suffering of migrants and their families. Free them all.