Category: Immigration Justice

A Challenge to Our Congregations: Make NJ a Fair and Welcoming UU State!

by Rev. Rob Gregson

At the April 8 UULMNJ Plenary (Annual Meeting) held at the Ridgewood Unitarian Society, the Immigration Justice Task Force, in cooperation with the UULMNJ Board and Executive Director, publicized a Resolution of Support for Undocumented Persons Fair & Welcoming UU Resolution and a 7 month Challenge to NJ UU congregations to take action Fair and Welcoming UU Challenge.

Above are the links to the text of the Resolution and the Challenge to Act along with recommended action steps your community can take.

The proposal and the goal?  That every member UU congregation in New Jersey will take 3 out of the following 5+ actions to halt the misguided and overly harsh detentions and deportations of undocumented immigrants in our state and across the nation.

For more information, please get in touch with either Rev. Rob Gregson at the UULMNJ office or Ted Fetter, Chair, Immigration Task Force (fetter4@verison.net)

Interview with Rev. Rob Gregson of UULMNJ at Rally – Protesters Call on Mayor to Make New Brunswick a ‘Sanctuary City’

by UU FA Office

Demonstrators are calling on the city administration to refuse to enforce President Trump’s executive order on immigration
Rev. Karen Johnston from the East Brunswick congregation was also interviewed at our post behind the Standing on the Side of Love banner.

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ACTION ALERT: March for Immigrant Rights

by UU FA Office

On Thursday, September 8, starting at 3:30 pm, there will be a march from the Hudson County Jail to the County Freeholders’ meeting to call for humane treatment of migrants who are being detained there for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Hudson County is paid a fee for each detainee held by the county, and the more they hold the more money ICE pays. There are reports that the conditions in the jail are terrible, including rat infested food. The County has a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which gives county law enforcement – sheriff’s officers and police – the ability to make arrests for immigration offenses. This agreement prevents immigrants in Hudson county from contacting law enforcement for problems like domestic violence.

Join UULMNJ and other members of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) as we urge elected officials to stop making money from the incarceration of immigrants.

I will be joined by other UU clergy to march from Hudson Co. Jail at 30-35 Hackensack Avenue in Kearney to 567 Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City.  A rally will be held at the start and ending points. If you are not able to walk the approximately 3.5 miles but wish to show support, please join us outside the Jersey City ralyying point around 5 pm.  This is a great opportunity to show your support for vulnerable people confronting a conflicted law enforcement system and especially inhumane prison in our home state.

For news and updates join the conversation on Facebook.

In Faith and Abiding Hope,

Rev. Rob Gregson, Executive Director

Tell Governor Christie to Sign S1771/ A4576 for Lower Prison Phone Rates

by UU FA Office

 

S1771/A4576 passed Monday in the NJ legislature. The vote was 47-22 with 1 abstention in the Assembly and 36-0 in the Senate!  The Assembly Appropriations Committee reported favorably an Assembly Committee Substitute for A4576 On December 10, 2015.
Under the substitute, the maximum per minute rate for calls may not exceed the maximum rate allowed by order of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for out-of-State calls and no more than $0.25 per minute for international calls.
In October, 2015 the FCC voted to drastically lower prison phone rates. Under the new rules, a 15-minute prison phone call that used to cost up to $17 will be just $1.65. (View the fact sheet) That change will make a sizable difference for families with loved ones incarcerated at a distance, some of whom spend $20,000 on phone bills during a prison sentence. A recent study found that more than one in three families with a member in prison go into debt due to the cost of phone calls and visits. For children who know their incarcerated parents only through phone calls the new rates will be life-altering. Studies have shown that regular phone communication drastically reduces a prisoner’s risk of recidivism.
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The substitute prohibits a State department, county, or private correctional facility from accepting or receiving a commission or any other payment from the telephone service provider based upon an amount the provider billed for telephone calls made by inmates in the correctional facility. The substitute also requires the Department of Corrections (DOC), the counties, and private correctional facilities to make available a prepaid or collect call system, or a combination of the two, for telephone services.  Under a prepaid or “debit” system, funds may be deposited into an inmate account in order to pay for telephone calls, as long as the department, county, or private correctional facility is not required to provide for or administer that prepaid system.  The provider of the inmate telephone service, as an additional means of payment, is to permit the recipient of inmate collect calls to establish an account with that provider in order to deposit funds for advance payment of those collect calls.
Now we need Governor Christie to sign the bill. He has just five more days to sign before the bill is pocket vetoed due to the end of the legislative session. Please write or call the governor’s office, (609)292 6000, today and urge him to sign A4576/S1771.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Gov. Christie to Welcome Refugees!

by UU FA Office

This isWithin minutes of last week’s attacks on Paris, U.S. politicians were starting to turn their backs on Syrian refugees. Since then, governors from Texas to Massachusetts have announced they won’t allow any Syrian families into their states. Our own Governor, Chris Christie, has vowed to refuse entry of any refugees, “I don’t think that orphans under 5 should be admitted to the United States at this point.”  We’ve heard calls to close mosques, to exclude all Muslim refugees.

As Unitarian Universalists the inherent worth and dignity of every person is at the core of our faith. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations are an important part of our principles. As Americans our faith is reflected in our Pledge of Allegiance: “liberty and justice for all”. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is calling for UUs across the country to contact their national representative and urge them to welcome our Syrian brothers and sisters. We call you to action by writing Governor Christie and asking him to show the world that we are a just and caring New Jersey.

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Let yUUr voice be heard and together we will create a more just world. With Thanksgiving upon, let us all remember that our ancestors once came to this land seeking asylum, too.

On November 19, 2015 Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, issued this statement in response to the recent Syrian refugee backlash:

“After the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut, I had hoped that our elected leaders would act with love and courage for all victims of terrorism. But unfortunately, they have not.

I am dismayed that over 30 U.S. governors have publicly proclaimed that they will not admit Syrian refugees into their states. And now, today, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill to hinder the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the United States. These are cowardly and fearful acts.

Syrian refugee families fled their homes to escape the terror of both the Bashar al Assad regime and the ISIS militants. After their harrowing escapes into safer territories, these families are now facing more persecution and suffering as our nation turns its back on them and their plight. It is unconscionable.

We must not face terrorism with fear; love is the only thing that I know that can truly conquer hate. I call on our elected officials to lead on the side of love for refugees.”

Issues Conference 2015 – Immigration Reform Priorities for 2015-16:

by UU FA Office

1.       Police/ICE relationship: find out what is going on in your county regarding this situation

2.       Local ID’s: urge your county or city governing body to issue an ID card and promote its benefits to all residents of the municipality.

3.       Wage theft: especially in large towns and cities, work with the business community and elected officials to establish wage theft laws.

4.       Driver’s licenses: Contact your state senator now and ask for support of any upcoming action on this. When the new assembly meets on Nov. 9th, begin contacting those members. Stay tuned for updates on possible days of action in Trenton. The task force will be advised by NJAIJ on this.

 

Get the Conference Registration Packet

Update on 2014 “Stamp Out Despair” Holiday Project

by UU FA Office

STAMP OUT DESPAIR CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Please help us Stamp Out Despair!

Thanks to you all we have collected a tremendous amount of stationery and do not need anymore. But we are still in need of the following:

  1. Forever Stamps
  2. International Global Stamps
  3. Blank cards
  4. Monetary donations for phone service that would help detainees call their families during the holidays*
  5. 2 ply paper folders
  6. Large and small blank envelopes
  7. Blank Note cards
  8. Handwritten personal notes of encouragement addressed “Dear Friend” (need 900)

*Collect all the phone card donations and send a check made payable to First Friends with “Stamp out Despair” in the memo line.
Phone service: USPS money order for $28.75

OTHER ASKS:

  • A desktop computer to be used at our office
  • Old cell phones that use SIM cards that can be use by those released from detention
  • Men’s shaving disposable razors
  • Create houses of welcome to host a released asylum seeker in your church or in your home

Important Holiday Project for UU Congregations

by UU FA Office
The holidays can be extremely difficult for those who are spending them in immigration detention centers.  UULMNJ wants to help.  Our Immigration Task Force has found a way, by  participating in First Friend”s “Stamp Out Despair” program.

First Friends  is an organization of volunteers who visit people detained at the Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC), Bergen County Jail, Hudson County Correctional Facility and Delaney Detention Center. Many detainees know no one in the United States, so a First Friends visitor may be their only link to the outside.

“Stamp Out Despair”  provides detainees with gifts of writing materials, stamps, envelopes and cards to help them stay in contact with family and friends and to let them know there are people in the U.S. who care about their plight.  Here’s How it Works:

Collect the following into a packet:

• Blank 2-pocket folder
• 20 First class “Forever Stamps”
• 10 Global “Forever Stamps
• 20 sheets of white writing paper
• 15 sheets of colored writing paper
• 15 sheets of small writing paper
• 5 blank greeting cards
• phone card donation

First Friends also needs notes of encouragement addressed “Dear Friend,” that will be given to 300 detainees at the Elizabeth detention center. It is in the spirit of holidays that we are bringing hope with paper. Any monetary donations would allow First Friends to provide phone cards services to detainees so that they can call their loved ones this holiday season.

First Friends would like to have these items by Dec. 15. Specific instructions for assembly and delivery are on the flyer [tt_vector icon=”fa-file-pdf-o”].

Please consider involving your congregation in this worthwhile project.  It is the least we can do for detainees who are so often forgotten.  If you have any questions, please contact Ted Fetter, Immigration Task Force Chair or our Executive Director.

Thank you for your help and your heart!!

Action Alert March 3, 2014: Immigration Task Force Letter Campaign

by UU FA Office

The Immigration Task Force is calling for a 1000 letter campaign to call attention to immigrant detention conditions in New Jersey. The Task Force has drafted a proposed letter. We are asking each congregation to collect signed copies of the letter every Sunday during March.  Please bring the letters to the Plenary on April 5 (or send them if you are unable to attend).  At that meeting, with letters from all around the state, we will take a photo of the pile of letters and write a press release saying what we’re trying to accomplish with the letter campaign.  Then we will mail off the letters in one package to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson in Washington and issue the press release.  Please do everything you can to make this a success.  If you have any questions, call Immigration Task Force Chair Ted Fedder or me, or email me at the address below.

Thank you for your help.

Rev. Craig Hirshberg, Exec. Director
director@uulmnj.org