185+ FAITH LEADERS ACROSS NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK CITY CALL FOR AN END TO THE HUDSON COUNTY CONTRACT WITH ICE

Hudson County, N.J.: Faith in New Jersey and Faith in New York releases a letter from 185+ faith leaders and clergy calling for Hudson County Commissioners to vote “NO” on continuing the county’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following testimony at Hudson County Commissioners meeting. Faith in New Jersey and Faith in New York leaders completed an unprecedented immigrant-led listening campaign of immigrant communities as part of our national LA RED campaign which released a participatory action research study of 13 states as well as the District of Columbia; Our Stories, Our Futures . We found an immense level of trauma, fear, and racism impacting immigrant communities as well as a desire to create a beloved community with a key focus on freedom of movement and freedom from ICE. If Hudson County honors it’s previous desire to end the contract immigrant communities will begin to get a little closer to the Beloved Community.

November 24, 2020,

Dear Hudson County Commissioners,

As faith leaders from multiple denominations across New Jersey and New York, we are united under a core belief of support and togetherness. We understand the words of the Hebrew Bible that remind us not to stand idly by while our neighbor bleeds. If we take this to heart, how much the more so must we condemn the practice of profiting off of that pain?

We call upon you, our appointed lawmakers, to devote your platform to one of radical change: one that begins to end the commodification of primarily Black and Brown bodies by ending the county’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We ask that you no longer be complacent in the trauma, fear, and racism that this contract aids ICE in inflicting upon immigrant communities. We ask that you no longer force your constituents to benefit from the suffering of their neighbors.

As representatives of our community, we know the people of Hudson County to be people of faith and sound conscience. A decision to renew the contract is not reflective of the community you serve. We want to be a beacon of hope that seeks to redeem this nation from the great harm it has been done for the sake of profit and white supremacy.

We remind you that our various faith traditions call us to love thy neighbor and to ensure the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We believe this can be done through a responsible end to the contract determined in collaboration with stakeholders and advocates that includes connecting detainees to community organizations and legal services so they may seek release and/or prepare legal defenses.

We may or may not agree with the national policies that have led to this unjust incarceration. However, we can agree that Hudson County should not become the Federal government’s warehouse for those it wishes to keep out of the public eye. We do a disservice not only to those who live in Hudson County, whose hands are stained with this blood or are even those imprisoned in these subhuman conditions, but also to our fellow New Jerseyans and New Yorkers, as we allow them to avert their eyes from this challenge to building a just society, that is fair to all. Return these parents to their children, spouses to their husbands or wives, human beings to their freedom – their incarceration is a burden unworthy of our county, and not worth the payoff, at any price.

We implore you to vote against extending this contract. Instead we ask that you embrace building the Beloved Community; one of hope, opportunity, justice, and love.

Ms.	Charlene	Walker	Faith in New Jersey, Executive Director	Rahway
Ms.	Crystal	Walthall	Faith in New York, Executive Director	Bronx
Mr.	Selaedin	Maksut	CAIR-NJ, Executive Director	South Plainfield
The Rev.	Thomas	Murphy	The Church of St. Paul & Incarnation (Episcopal)	Jersey City
The Rev.	S. Elizabeth	Searle	Episcopal Church of Our Saviour	Secaucus
Rev	Laurie	Wurm	Grace Church Van Vorst	Grace Church Van Vorst
Rev.	Elaine	Thomas	All Saints Episcopal Parish	Hoboken
Pastor	Kevin	Dickerson	Cool JC	New York
Rev	Jose C.	Lopez	Latino Ministers of New Jersey For Justice	Jersey City
Rev	Claudio M	Burgaleta, SJ	St Peter’s Jesuit Community	St Peter’s Jesuit Community
Minister	Vivian	Tavera	Ministerio El Sol Sale Para Todos Int’l	West New York
Rev	Candido	Perez	La Gloría	Union City
The Rev.	William	Riley	Saint’s Catherine & Sandra United Liberal Catholic Church International	Jersey City
Bishop	Raymond	Rivera	Latino Pastoral Action Center	Bronx, New York
Rev	Francis	Schiller	St Patrick, jersey city	Jersey city
Rev.	Eugene	Squeo	Parish of Saint Patrick & Assumption/All Saints (ret.)	Jersey City
Rev.	Lyssette	Perez	Oasis United Methodist Church	Pleasantville
Rev. Dr.	Willie	Francois	Mount Zion Baptist Church	Pleasantville
Rev.	Brady	Funn III	St. John A.M.E Church	New York
Sister	Deborah	Hughes	Sisters of St. Joseph	Philadelphia
Reverend	Michael	Yi	Metro Community Church	Englewood
The Rev.	Hogil Hilary	Won	All Saints Episcopal Korean Church	Bergenfield
Rev.	Annie	Allen	Rutherford Congregational Church	Vernon
Rev.	Gary	LeCroy	St. Matthew Trinity	Hoboken
Sister	Joan	Sullivan	Sister	Teaneck
Rev.	Preston	Thompson	Ebenezer Baptist Church	Englewood
Rabbi	Lindsey	Healey-Pollack	Independent	Englewood
Rev	Geralda	Aldajuste	St. Paul United Methodist Church, Faith in New Jersey Board Member	Willingboro
Sister	Verónica	Roche	Sisters of St. Joseph	Maple Shade
Deacon	Tom	Jennings	Sacred Heart Parish, Camden, NJ	Pennsauken
Rev	Pedro	Guzman	St Andrews episcopal	Camden
Mrs .	Judy	Kushner	Christ Our Light Catholic Church	Cherry Hill
Rev Dr	Patrick	Close	Christ Chu	Cherry Hill, NJ
Bishop	Gus	Swain jr	New Life Church	Pennsauken
Imam	Faheem	Lea	The Quba School and Islamic Center	Camden
Sister	Bernadette	McMenamin	Sisters of Saint Joseph	Camden
Rev. Dr.	Kenneth	Hallahan	Saint Joachim	Saint Joachim
Sister	Rosemary	Golden	Sisters of St. Joseph, Chestnut Hill	Philadelphia
Prophet	Vanessa	Jordan	ASEM	Global
Sister	Connie	Trainor	Sisters of Saint Joseph	Marmora
Sr.	Mary Ann	Mulzet	Sisters of St. Joseph	Cape May Point
Rev.	Albert	Morgan	Union Baptist Temple	Union Baptist Temple
Evangelist	Tracey	Wells- Huggins	Union Baptist Temple	Bridgeton
Rev.	Joel	Camarillo	Divine Mercy Parish	Vineland
The Rev.	J. Brent	Bates	Grace Church in Newark	Newark
Rabbi	David	Vaisberg	Temple B’nai Abraham	Temple B’nai Abraham
Sister	Kay	Coll	Sisters of St. Joseph	Newark
Rev.	Sylvester	Ekunwe	St. Andrew’s Episcopal church	Newark

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185+ FAITH LEADERS ACROSS NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK CITY CALL FOR AN END TO THE HUDSON COUNTY CONTRACT WITH ICE

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