Description
In the Jewish year we are in the midst of the trek from Egypt, the house of bondage, the place of the redemption, to Sinai—the moment of Divine revelation. We prepare ourselves to hear the words of the Divine: “I am God, your God, Who brought you out of the land Egypt, out of the house of slaves.”
In the Christian tradition we have just passed the Easter season, the season of resurrection and renewal.
In the Islamic year we are celebrating Ramadan, the forty day fast which marks the revelation of the Holy Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammed PBUH.
In all our traditions this is a time in which we work towards the overthrow of our own Pharoahs and structures of oppression and injustice which they build.
GeoGroup is one of those Pharoahs.
GeoGroup, which owns and operates the Adelanto Detention Center, is a private prison company, contracting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) whose 2018 total revenues were $2.33 Billion (according to its last annual report). The Adelanto Detention Facility, which is the second largest in the country, holds up to 1,940 people. That is 1,940 stories of families broken apart, parents separated from children, lives interrupted and communities damaged.
In September 2018 the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a report on Adelanto, documenting deficient medical care, overly restrictive segregation, and violations of ICE’s own detention standards. Seven people died there between 2010 and 2017, making it the deadliest immigration detention center in the United States.
According to a Report by Human Rights First:
Many asylum seekers and other immigrants are held for months and years even though they qualify for release under U.S. law, regulations, and other relevant criteria.
Many detained asylum seekers and other immigrants do not have a lawyer. Adelanto is located more than one hundred miles from the nearest metropolitan centers, where legal services providers and attorneys are located.
Many held in immigration detention in California report denials of, or deficiencies in, health care, long waits to see health professionals, and a lack of proper medication.
Immigration detainees at facilities in California suffer sub-standard conditions and abuse. The OIG recently reported on sub-par conditions at both the Adelanto and Theo Lacy detention centers.
WE DEMAND that
-GeoGroup be removed from operating the Adelanto Detention Center;
-Congressional appropriations Defund Hate by lowering the appropriations for DHS and ICE;
-That the Federal Government put an end to contracting with private prisons;
NOBODY SHOULD PROFIT FROM HUMAN PAIN AND SUFFERING!!
Bend the Arc is an organization committed to strategic nonviolent action, driven and guided by Jewish values that call us to transform our country to be inclusive, equitable, and supportive of the dignity of every person.
This demands that in pursuit of justice we each hold ourselves accountable to taking bold, courageous and ethical action in service of building a nation that truly lives up to our aspirations.
Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/327573531239823/?active_tab=about