Photo gallery/Benjamin Kremer
Never Again Action NH, the group that has been organizing car rallies in support of releasing civilly-detained immigrants from the Strafford County Jail, received a note of thanks and support from the wife of one of the detained men.
She explained that her husband is in a high-risk group, and that she worries about his health constantly. She said she can’t explain what it means to her that people who don’t even know her husband and others like him are out there every week showing support and asking for their release.
“This is why we keep doing this,” said Laura Aronson, one of the organizers. “We want to keep reminding our decision-makers that they have the power to do the smart thing and release these people who have no criminal charges against them. But we also want to remind the detainees that we have not forgotten them.”
A caravan of over 100 people circled the jail with signs and many hand-held red hearts, which has become a symbol of their support, while inmates stood at the windows and waved. The rallies have been held with the approval of the jail administration. All have been peaceful, with cooperation between the drivers, the jail staff, and the police.
Although other states have released a significant portion of their civilly-detained, non-violent inmates, New Hampshire has only now begun the process, clearing four of the over 70 detainees for release this week. Many experts are calling for release as a means of slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a USA Today article, Laurence Benenson and Jonathan Haggerty argue that: “The number of cases will surely continue to climb. As the virus spreads within more detention facilities, it will threaten not only immigrants but also attorneys, visitors, guards, maintenance staff and others — who will, in turn, spread COVID-19 further into their communities.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says at least 317 people in their detention facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, according to CBS News.
Never Again Action NH sent a petition with over 700 signatures, calling for the release of civilly-detained immigrants, to Governor Chris Sununu, all the NH members of Congress, and other officials. They have received no response, except from the County Commissioners.
The activist group points to a Syracuse University report that states, “A clear majority of the detained immigrant population has never been convicted with a violent or other serious criminal offense and does not pose a risk to public safety.”
Tess George, one of the organizers of the rally, recently returned from Matamoros in Mexico, where immigrant asylum seekers wait in camps while their cases are pending. She said, “Most of these people are simply looking for safety, fleeing gang violence and threats on their lives. Now they are facing a possible death sentence just for trying to have a better life.”
Suit to free immigrants now being heard in Federal court
The ACLU of New Hampshire and four local law firms filed suit on April 17 against ICE to release the immigrants held by ICE in Strafford County jail. In an evidentiary meeting the lawyers and ICE laid out what facts about the jail are in dispute before Judge Landya B. McCafferty of the United States District Court for New Hampshire. Jail officials have filed papers detailing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including 14-day quarantines of nearly all new inmates to the jail.
“Detaining people for immigration violations during a pandemic is a completely unacceptable and irresponsible game of public health Russian Roulette. We don’t know who, and we don’t know when, but some people will get sick, and some people will die,” said Ron Abramson, counsel at Shaheen & Gordon PA, a party to the suit. “The only way to minimize that possibility is to release as many people from detention as possible.”
Never Again Action, a national organization, was founded in 2019 by Jews motivated by their prophetic tradition and their history of oppression. Its goal is to prevent ICE, DHS, CBP, and the corporations that support them from doing business as usual. The New Hampshire chapter has the added goal of engaging citizens directly in the issue. Activists in the New Hampshire chapter are diverse, including Jews and people from a wide range of religious backgrounds.
Online sources:
- NAA https://www.neveragainaction.com/
- NAA NH Never Again Action NH – Home
- Petition https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/free-the-immigrants-in-strafford-county-jail-releasethemnow
- Photo of jail https://www.inmateaid.com/prisons/strafford-county-house-of-corrections
- Syracuse University TRAC report https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/601/?fbclid=IwAR2GY1mPG1yZ3KF-PlN0W5mgtNMibhacWvrCj9Q560Itc48H9WKcoy3RMas
- ACLU NH https://www.aclu-nh.org/en/press-releases/aclu-nh-files-emergency-federal-lawsuit-seeking-hearing-detained-immigrant?fbclid=IwAR2iRZR0GU4vQRx5m-bq9gvm2zXAOOQkDRzTFSSmYsZ1ovYc_UIiuz_8Q1Y
- NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/16/835886346/ice-releases-hundreds-as-coronavirus-spreads-in-detention-centers
