Green Party of New Jersey Supports Closing Essex County Immigrant Detention Center

NEWARK, N.J. (Nov. 9, 2017) – The Green Party of New Jersey joined Stop Immigrant Detentions in Essex County (SIDEC) and other organizations demanding closure of the Essex County Immigrant Detention Center. Troy Knight-Napper, who was this year’s Green Party candidate for State Senate in Legislative District 24, gave a statement on behalf of the party:

The Green Party of New Jersey stands with the fight for immigrant rights, which is the same as the fight for all human rights. No human being is illegal. We all have inherent rights and dignity, regardless of our immigration status or country of origin. This administration, like the previous ones but to a much greater extent, is scapegoating immigrants to avoid focus on the real issues this country faces due to white supremacy, capitalism, militarism, climate change, etc.

Undocumented people are not criminals; they are people and parents trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, many of whom are fleeing desperate and hopeless situations. Let’s offer pathways to citizenship for people who now have none, and stop criminalizing and imprisoning people who already have no opportunities and no other options but to live in the shadows. Detainment and deportations are expensive burdens on our society. Immigrants pay taxes and contribute to our communities in many valuable ways. Let’s invest in education, health care, and a future for all of us, instead of xenophobia.

We advertise, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.” But we imprison those who try to act on those words. Newark is called a sanctuary city, but it houses an ICE detention center. That is quite hypocritical. If Newark is to be a true sanctuary city, we must close the immigrant detention center.

About The Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ)
Committed to upholding, defending and promoting the principles of peace, ecology, social justice, and democracy, the Green Party of New Jersey is the statewide affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. With a network of active county-level committees throughout New Jersey, GPNJ is committed to the advancement of its core principles through grassroots initiatives across New Jersey and the recruitment of Green Party candidates to run for elected office at all levels of municipal, county, and statewide government. To learn more about the Green Party of New Jersey, visit their website at www.gpnj.org.

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