I am concerned for the welfare of people being detained by ICE, deprived of liberty, legal representation, and even communication with family. Children are being held separately from their parents; medical care is being denied. These activities of our immigration services do not make our country safer nor do they protect our borders.
I believe all people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, deserve to be treated with respect and accorded all the rights due under U.S. law and the Constitution.
The U.S. has been a refuge for oppressed people since the Pilgrims first stepped on Plymouth Rock. We have benefited greatly from the energy and talents of millions escaping to here from terrible circumstances. People who look for safety within these borders are relying on hundreds of years of history. Their hope is not false hope; my America does not deny them refuge.
We must work to open our borders to those escaping war, poverty, and political oppression. We must work to rein in inhumane and illegal actions by ICE and to fulfill the promise of the Statue of Liberty. We are a land of immigrants; we are Americans.
