FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2021
Media Contact: Julia Tache, North Jersey DSA Immigrant Justice Working Group communications chair. Email: jat2167@columbia.edu , Phone: 201-707-5203.
Kearny, New Jersey– On October 7th, 2021 at 6 PM, immigrant rights activists from the North New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America and the Abolish ICE NY/NJ coalition will be rallying outside of the Hudson County Detention Center to demand releases not transfers for those currently detained by ICE. Although contracts with ICE have been canceled across the state, the fight is far from over.
“We demand the release of all immigrant detainees at Hudson County Correctional Center prior to the scheduled November 1 end of ICE detention. It is unconscionable that the long-awaited end of ICE detention in Hudson County would lead to the cruelty of forced transfers,” said Brett Robertson, an organizer with both the Immigrant Justice Working Group of the North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America and the Abolish Ice New York New Jersey Coalition.
Approximately 34 people are currently in Hudson County detention. There are plans for the center to be “depopulated” by November 1st. Individuals were only given TEN days to submit a release request by October 4th, which will be reviewed by several ICE offices. Talia Peleg, Associate Professor of Law at CUNY, characterizes Hudson’s release request process as “manifestly unjust. The process is opaque; ICE rarely provides a decision on release requests (or at best, a cursory decision) and there is no mechanism through which an individual can appeal a denial.” Folks who are not released will be transferred to Orange County. We demand ALL those in detention be released back to their families and communities. The pandemic continues to wage war on those in close quarters in ICE facilities, which are notorious for inhumane and unsafe conditions. Our communities are far from “safe” if folks continue to live in fear that ICE will tear their families apart and those imprisoned face awful treatment and isolation.
Releasing everyone is the right thing to do, a widely popular policy that immigrant justice activists have been demanding for ages. Both New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez wrote a letter in support of releases from Hudson. We reside on colonized and occupied Lenape land and any declaration that deems people “illegal” is illegitimate. There will be representatives and speakers from the immigrant community as well as testimonies from folks in detention at this event.
The North Jersey and New York City community is invited to join this action and show support for releases from ICE detention and immigrant rights!