The Human Stories Behind the Immigration Detention Contract in Essex County

Since Essex County signed its contract with ICE to expand immigration detention to 1250 people this past fall, Essex County has been in the news. Not just for the shady back doors deals and political contributions from the private for-profit company that received the immigration detention subcontract but also for the suffering that this contract is causing to local residents and their families.

In October, there was the story of Neida Lavayen whose fiance was taken into custody one week before their wedding and held at Delaney Hall until he was deported to Ecuador.

In November, there was the story of Michell and Yasser Valle who migrated to the US legally with their mother when they were in kindergarten and first grade, and although they were eligible for relief under ICE's new policy of prosecutorial discrection it looked as if they would be spending Thanksgiving in Delaney Hall.


In December, there was the story of Atanas Entchev who was invited to the US over 20 years ago as a visiting scholar and brought his 2 year old son, Enislav with him. Though both Atanas and Enislave were also eligible for relief under the policy of prosecutorial discretion they were taken into custody and held in Delaney Hall for 65 days.

Just before Christmas we learned of the story of Jose Pereira, the father of 2 US citizen children and the spouse of a US citizen who was incarcerated in the Essex County Jail awaiting deportation.

Just before New Year's the story of Charley Chehoud appeared in the press. Charley is currently being held in solitary confinement in the Essex County Jail despite entering the US legally 30 years ago and recently cooperating with police to solve several crimes including a murder.

These are just the stories that made it into the mainstream media. Each and every one of the people being held in immigration detention has his or her own story. Immigrants in detention include the parents and spouses of US citizens, asylum seekers and torture survivors. They include students, business owners, and community leaders. They include long time residents, legal permanent residents, and sometimes even US citizens who are wrongfully imprisoned.

Essex County is netting less than $20 per detainee per day. It is using this revenue as to justify participating in an inhumane system. The County refuses to recognize the immorality of incarcerating people for profit.

If you can, please join us on Wednesday February 22nd in our latest protest against the inhumane immigration detention system and the expansion in Essex County and NJ. We will be starting in Jersey City with a 12 with a mile walk to the Elizabeth Detention Center that includes stops at the Essex County Jail, the ICE Field Office and several houses of worship.

We will close the day with a vigil and prayer service at the Elizabeth Detention Center at 6 pm

Whether or not you can attend, please do not forget to sign the petition to tell the Essex County Freeholders to get out of the business of immigration detention because profiting from other people's misery is not a business that Essex County should be in.

Will your name be among those demanding an end to immigration detention for profit?

Tomorrow night hundreds of concerned New Jersey residents are expected to participate in an "Occupy the Freeholders" action. At the Essex County Freeholders regularly scheduled meeting we will deliver a petition started on Change.org that has garnered more that 3,000 signatures on-line and over 1000 in hard copy in opposition to an expanded contract with a local jail that houses immigrant detainees for profit.

Will your name be among those who demand an end to the incarceration of immigrants for profit?

If you haven't already, please sign this petition to revoke the ICE contract in Essex County

And then join us in Newark...

December 7th, 2011
Rally at 4pm at Military Park
& Marching to 456 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Room 506
For 7:30 pm Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholder Meeting.


The Essex County Freeholders need to stop selling out to the 1%
Immigrants are not commodities.
Immigrants are the 99%!

Stop Understanding, Start Feeling

As I sat down to write this blog post, about our upcoming protest on December 7th in Newark over the for-profit immigration detention contract, I was tempted to lead with statistics about the percentage of foreign born residents in Essex County. Then I remembered a quote from a book on racial justice by Father Bryan Massingale. "We act justly not because we are intellectually convinced, but because we are passionately moved. Compassion moves the will to justice."

As a movement and as individual activists, there is a tendency toward providing facts, data and statistics that support just immigration policy. There is the belief that if only we could effectively combat the tremendous body of misinformation we would prevail. The problem is that one of the primary tactics of the campaign against immigration reform is an attempt to dehumanize an entire group of people.

However, it becomes obvious, that what is fueling the anti-immigrant movement is anything but rational. The statistics are simply a justification for a deep seated fear of people who are in some way different. It is a deep seated fear that these new people will upset the social order.

I am often asked why I am an advocate for immigration reform. After all, being an advocate for social change of any kind does not win a person any popularity contests, particularly not in New Jersey’s suburbs. I can only describe it as a conversion after encounters with people who were suffering under the injustice of our immigration system. These were moments where, as Catholic and a Christian, I recognized the face of Jesus in the suffering of the people before me and I felt their pain in a deep and profound way. At these times I was able to see that it was merely by luck of my birth and circumstances that I was spared their suffering.

Perhaps that is why I am transfixed by this video. I do not understand the words that Frank uses to describe the plight of immigrants in detention or the injustice of the system that imprisons them for-profit… I feel them.



We need to stop pinning our hopes for change to an intellectual exercise where we ascribe economic value to the lives of people who are immigrants. By doing so, we only contribute to their dehumanization. We need to talk about immigrants as people with innate value as human beings. We need to elevate their lives and their stories, flawed and imperfect though they may be.

Until we have the courage to stridently proclaim, not that some are deserving because they can contribute, but that all are entitled to the basic necessities of life because they are human, we will not prevail.

I hope you will watch Frank’s video as I have, over and over, and share it with your friends. I believe with all my heart and I feel in my soul that the very passion and the power of the emotion that he expresses is our path forward as a movement.

We must stop trying to understand and open our hearts. We must start feeling the pain of our brothers and sisters who are immigrants. Our compassion for their suffering is what will motivate us to act in solidarity for justice.

If you can, please join us in Newark on December 7th, beginning at 4:00 pm in Military Park and later at 7:00 pm at the Essex County Freeholders meeting. If not please sign the petition to revoke the ICE contract in Newark and start putting people before profit.

Stop Incarcerating People for Profit - Occupy the Essex County Freeholders

Immigrants are being incarcerated for profit in Essex County thanks to the help of the Essex County Executive and the Board of Chosen Freeholders who have decided to sell the liberty of 1250 people to ICE for $108/person/day.

Join us December 7 beginning at 4:00 pm with a rally & press conference in Military Park and then march with us to the Hall of Records to Occupy the Freeholders at their meeting at 7:00 pm. We will be presenting them with thousands of signatures on a petition to revoke the ICE contract and tell them to STOP INCARCERATING PEOPLE FOR PROFIT!

For years, Essex County has been partnering with the private for-profit company Community Education Centers (CEC) to negotiate a contract with ICE to detain 1250 people in the Essex County Jail and the neighboring privately run Delaney Hall. The agreement between ICE & Essex County was signed and approved earlier this fall.

After Essex County secretly negotiated with ICE, making representations to ICE that CEC would be the subcontractor, Essex County put the sub-contract up for public bid. Surprise, surprise CEC was the only bidder in two separate rounds of RFP's.

It just so happens that CEC has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Essex County politicians.

It just so happens that one of CEC's primary lobbyists was Chris Christie.

It just sot happens that Bill Palatucci, Chris Christie's close friend and political confidant, is currently a Sr. VP for CEC.

As we know, the system is rigged to line the pockets of corporate interests while working class people suffer. This is just one more example.

Wall Street Execs destroy the economy & get a bailout. Immigrants work hard & end up in jail. Immigrants are the 99%.

Wells Fargo - Dump the Prison Stock! Invest in Humanity

"We’re responsible for being leaders to promote the long-term economic prosperity and quality of life for everyone in our communities. If they prosper, so do we."

That's what Wells Fargo says about its "goal for social responsibility" but their investments say otherwise.

Wells Fargo has a major presence in New Jersey's urban centers and neighborhoods. It's marketing strategy includes a significant outreach to minorities and immigrants. However, it is one of the largest investors in private prisons. Their investments include GEO Group which owns Delaney Hall and Corrections Corp of America (CCA) which owns and operates the Elizabeth Detention Center.

Wells Fargo and its investors are making billions while people suffer as these for-profit prison operators squeeze every last dime out of the facilities they run. This means smaller food portions, denial of access to medical care, inadequately and poorly trained guards, limited access to personal hygiene items, more prisoners to a cell, etc.

These conditions exist in a system with limited oversight which is further shrouded by corporate secrecy. This focus on profit over human rights creates an environment where abuse is overlooked, tolerated and, in the most egregious cases, justified.

GEO Group is a multi-national corporation with a long record of riots, verbal, physical and sexual abuse at the facilities that it runs. It has paid tens of millions of dollars resulting from lawsuits including suits alleging wrongful death.

CCA also has a highly blemished record. The Elizabeth Detention Center gained national notoriety when the NY Times published a series of articles about the under-reported deaths of people in immigration detention. The series included several stories about Boubacar Bah a Guinean tailor who died from severe head trauma after being denied medical treatment by CCA staff for 13 hours.

Meanwhile CCA & GEO are using their profits from lucrative government contracts to lobby through groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for stricter criminal sentencing guidelines and harsher immigration enforcement.

It is time for Wells Fargo to be true to its message. They need to dump the prison stock and invest in humanity. That is exactly what the National Prison Industry Divestment Campaign is trying to do. Enlace is leading a national grassroots effort to force Wells Fargo to stop investing in the for-profit prison industry. The campaign is tailored to each community, in San Franciso they are holding rallies outside of Wells Fargo's national headquarters, in Colorado individuals are signing pledges to remove their funds from Wells Fargo branches.

There is some discussion about bringing the national campaign to NJ. How will it look here? Organizers are not quite sure yet, but stay tuned because details are sure to follow.

For more information about the National Prison Industry Divestment Campaign click here. or contact Enlace info@enlaceintl.org or 213-284-3802.

All She Asked Was That Her Brother Be Treated Humanely

"Please we need help from each & every one of you." the sister of a man held at Delaney Hall, a for-profit immigration detention center in Essex County said.

On October 9th outside of Delaney Hall, the private, for-profit correctional facility that is housing ICE detainees as part of a deal with Essex County, protesters met a woman who had waited an hour and a half to see her brother only to be turned away. She told us how badly her brother was being treated and with tears in her eyes she begged for help.

Remarkably, she did not ask that he be represented by a lawyer, or for him to be set free, all she asked was that he be treated humanely.

Sadly, that is not a given in Essex County or anywhere else that immigrants are being held on behalf of ICE in the United States.

Please watch the video and share it with everyone you know.

And then sign the petition to revoke the ICE contract in Essex County

Then ask your friends to do the same.

…Because we need help from each and every one of you.

Special thanks to Gabriela Garcia from Change.org and Frank Lopez from The Peace Poets for putting this video together.

An Invitation for Abuse in Essex County

This past August, the Essex County Executive, Joe DiVincenzo, entered into an inter-governmental services agreement (IGSA) with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase the number of ICE detainees held in Essex County to 1250. The contract is being touted as a way to generate huge revenue for the county, which may, in turn, benefit some property owners. However, serious questions regarding whether the county will experience any net benefit from the contract, and the effect that incarceration for profit will have on already inhumane conditions remain. We are also left with the overarching question of whether or not using the incarceration of people as a way to make money is an acceptable way for Essex County to raise revenue.

Unfortunately for Essex County's coffers, the prison business is labor intensive and one where economies of scale do not easily apply. The $50 million per year the County Executive claims Essex will receive is significantly overstated. Essex County has admitted, through written communication, that this is both a gross revenue number and one calculated using an absolute best case scenario of all 1250 beds being filled at all times at the full $108/day reimbursement rate.

Though Essex County claims that "all appropriate analysis have been done," it has been less than forthcoming about the costs associated with the contract. We know from published reports that the subcontract with Community Education Centers (CEC), the politically connected, for-profit firm that runs Delaney Hall, alone will reduce this number by at least $8-10 million.

No calculation of the increased cost of additional guards, or required improvements to the facilities has been provided and Essex County is claiming that despite repeatedly promoting the increased training that all guards would undergo as a result of the new contract there are no costs associated with this training. Despite repeated requests for information, all the Essex County Administration will say so far about the costs of the contract with ICE is that they are "fixed based on our operational costs." Although, the costs associated with running a public facility is public information, Essex County has yet to divulge what those costs are.

Essex County Freeholder Ralph Caputo who is chair the penal committee for Essex County says the new contract between the county and ICE is "unpleasant but useful" because it will raise revenues. Joe DiVincenzo has called the agreement between Essex and ICE a "homerun" and. says it will "help reduce the financial burden on our taxpayers." However, the county has no control over property taxes. That is up to the individual municipalities to decide. In fact, Newark just announced a 4.6% property tax increase for the coming year despite the fact that Essex County presented a balanced budget for 2011 that included projected revenues of $27.5 million from the ICE contract.

This past June, after months of testimony from advocates, service providers and community members, Freeholder Caputo announced that Essex County would investigate charges of violations of the NJ Administrative Code and other civil & human rights violations. He invited advocates to join this effort to oversee the jail. Essex County has since reneged on this offer.

It appears that Essex County is either not being realistic about costs associated with running an immigration detention facility or they are going to be running a facility that is woefully unprepared to adequately meet the needs of the expanding immigrant detainee population.

The Essex County Executive and the Freeholders want us to believe that they can spin the misery of the immigrants in their custody into gold for the rest of the residents of Essex County, but by perpetuating an environment in which profit is the primary motivator while shirking their responsibility for oversight, they are inviting abuse.

Please join at Peter Francisco Park in Newark tomorrow at 1:30 pm as we demand that the Freeholders revoke the new ICE contract and institute a community oversight board for the jail and Delaney Hall.

Whether or not you can come please sign the petition.

ICE's Model - a Jail that sits in "Chemical Corridor"

Essex is a story with national implications because the problems at Essex completely undercut ICE's national messaging. ICE is saying that it is in the process of making immigration detention humane. ICE is holding up Essex as a model for the country, but their model consists of a jail that blocks access to clergy, and a hastily partitioned correctional facility located next to a water treatment plant and toxic waste.

Earlier this week at a press conference in front of the Hall of Records in Newark, Cynthia Mellon, the Environmental Justice & Community Organizer for the Ironbound Community Corp., talked about the high levels of pollution, the poor air quality and the concerns about the county's inability to evacuate the occupants of the jail and Delaney Hall in the event of a chemical spill.

The environmental issues at the jail and the ICE contract itself tie into the oppression of immigrants in the surrounding neighborhood. On October 9th we will be marching past a school in the majority Portuguese and Brazilian community in the Ironbound section of Newark. This school needed to be closed twice in the last two years for environmental concerns, first for Benzene and the second time for mold. The children are being bussed to schools out of the city.

Essex County is expanding the prison but it is not building a new school anywhere in the Ironbound. The freeholders and county executive keep talking about how much money the county will make off of this deal with ICE and they say they plan to use it to lower property taxes (most likely taxes in the western suburbs.) So not only will the immigrant community continue to suffer the injustice of having its residents incarcerated in the local prison they will continue living in a polluted neighborhood without a safe school for their children. It is unlikely that they will see a dime of this revenue that the new ICE contract is supposed to bring to Essex.

Not only is ICE is incapable of treating people humanely, there is just no such thing as humane immigration detention.

Press Conference 9/27 in Newark Denouncing County Contract with ICE

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES DENOUNCE EXPANSION OF FLAWED IMMIGRATION DETENTION SYSTEM IN ESSEX

Calling for Community Oversight, Government Accountability, a Rollback of New Contract with ICE and an End to Mandatory Detention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2011

Contacts: Amy Gottlieb, American Friends Service Committee, 917-494-6415; Karina Wilkinson, Middlesex Co. Coalition for Immigrant Rights, 310-980-0362

Event Time: Tuesday September 27th 2011 at 11am

Event Location: Lincoln Statue in front of Hall of Records (465 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd) at corner of Springfield Ave. and Market St. in Newark


NEWARK, NJ – New Jersey Advocates for Immigrant Detainees* (NJAID) will hold a press conference calling for a rollback of the newly signed contract between Essex County and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and added government accountability for the immigrant detention system in Essex County. The press conference comes at the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, a law that dramatically expanded the use of mandatory detention for immigrants and led to massive deportations, tearing families and communities apart.

“The concept of detaining people on civil charges without a right to bond or parole goes counter to our understanding of justice and protections of human rights. The detention and deportation system has failed immigrant communities miserably, but could easily be fixed in part by eliminating any mandatory detention provisions,” said Silky Shah, Detention Watch Network.

NJAID is deeply concerned about numerous complaints from immigrant detainees and advocates regarding Essex County facilities. The complaints filed include refusal of entry to legal counsel, interpreters and expert witnesses; arbitrary restrictions on family and community visitation; and lack of access to religious clergy. There is also growing concern with health issues as the required outdoor recreation area is adjacent to a toxic waste site.

Concerns increased with the expansion of the detention system through the September 7th Freeholder meeting at which the ICE contract was approved. The total number of detainees in Essex County Jail and Delaney Hall will increase to 1250. Delaney Hall is a facility operated by Community Education Centers, a private corporation. Expansion without addressing the human rights violations may prove fatal: since late 2003, over 110 people have died in immigration detention centers throughout the United States. Members of the community have been showing their concern as well, since September over 1600 signatures have been collected on a petition on Change.org to revoke the contract with ICE.

"ICE has agreed to maintain an average daily population of 700 detainees in Essex County jail, a jail that arbitrarily refuses access to family, clergy and attorneys," said Karina Wilkinson, Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights, a member group of NJAID. "We have seen no improvement or increased cooperation under the new contract, only more promises of reform."
Human rights advocates have voiced concerns about detainee conditions at Freeholder meetings since last December. Penal Committee chair and Freeholder Ralph Caputo once offered to include advocates in an oversight committee to review the issues raised. However, no such review has occurred. Freeholders have told NJAID that oversight is an ICE responsibility. “This is shirking their responsibility to the people who are now in the county’s custody” said Ed Martone, Director of Public Education and Policy for the NJ Association on Correction. “They do have complete control over the conditions in their own jail.”

This press conference is leading up to a national day of action, which is part of the “Dignity, Not Detention: Preserving Human Rights and Restoring Justice,” campaign led by the Detention Watch Network. The campaign calls for an end to the human rights abuses in detention centers, the restoration of due process in the enforcement of immigration laws, and the implementation of cost saving, community-based alternatives to detention. A local action called “Redefining Cruel and Unusual: Indefinite Detention Amid Toxic Waste” is scheduled for October 9th in Newark.

*The NJ Advocates for Immigrant Detainees is a coalition of the American Civil Liberties Union- New Jersey; American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Immigrant Rights Program; Casa de Esperanza; Casa Freehold; the Episcopal Immigration Network; IRATE & First Friends; Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry in NJ; NJ Association on Correction; NJ Forum for Human Rights; Pax Christi NJ; Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; People’s Organization for Progress, Bergen County Branch; the Reformed Church of Highland Park; Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair

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Draft Program

1. Welcome

2. Mandatory Detention and Implications (Silky Shah, Detention Watch Network)

3. Increased Immigration Detention in NJ: Elizabeth Detention Center and beyond (Sally Pillay, IRATE/First Friends)

4. Essex County’s Newly Approved Contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Karina Wilkinson, Middlesex County Coalition for Immigrant Rights)

5. Violations of Immigration Detention Standards and Due Process at Essex (John Leschak, Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights)

6. Environmental and Other Concerns at Essex County (Cynthia Mellon, Community and Environmental Justice Organizer, Ironbound Community Corporation)

7. Essex County Government Accountability and Call for Oversight Committee (Ed Martone, Director of Public Education and Policy for the New Jersey Association on Correction)

Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage -A Transformative Experience

About the middle of February, I found myself looking forward to Ash Wednesday. I had never experienced this before. My Catholic upbringing had conditioned me to dread the day that signaled the beginning of what I had come to regard as 40 days of repentance and self denial. But this Ash Wednesday would be the second time that I would be joining people of faith from all over New Jersey and New York City in front of the footbridge to Ellis Island to walk nearly 12 miles alongside recent immigrants and in solidarity with the suffering of our brothers and sisters who come to our country fleeing persecution, the aftermath of natural disasters, armed conflict or extreme poverty.

This year the pilgrimage marked the beginning of a statewide Lenten Campaign to “Recognize the Human Value of Immigrants” called “Lament, Compassion, Solidarity & Conversion”. The campaign was intended to Lament our country’s current immigration policy, show Compassion for the suffering of immigrants, act in Solidarity with immigrants and pray for a Conversion of hearts so that comprehensive, humane immigration reform can be enacted.

About 10:30 am, after a short prayer service about 50 of us from varied faith traditions began walking. We chanted “we believe in justice” in English and Spanish as we walked through the streets of Jersey City stopping at Assumption/All Saint’s RC Church for a bilingual prayer service and the Islamic Center and Al-Ghazaly School where we listened to a reading from the Koran that spoke of the equality of all people.

At our next stop, the Essex County Correctional Facility, that currently holds at least 500 immigrant detainees with plans to soon expand to as many as 2700 more, we were joined by two bus loads of high school students from Mother Seton Regional High School and Roselle Catholic who would finish the remaining 9 plus miles. We made more stops along the way at the Grace Community Lutheran Church, Federal Immigration Court Building and the new ICE office on Frelinghuysen Avenue.

Along the journey I visited with old friends and made some new ones. I met a high school student and a US citizen who had recently suffered the separation of her father as he was deported to Egypt and whose mother is awaiting the same fate. I also met a man from Cameroon who had spent time in immigration detention despite being a legal resident.

Toward the end of the day, as our joints and muscles all began to ache, one of my fellow pilgrims and I discussed how we were getting a very small glimpse into the many miles that refugees and immigrants have to walk whilst fleeing their homelands like the “lost boys” of Sudan or the Mexican, Central and South American immigrants who put their lives in the hands of the coyotes as they cross the desert.

We ended triumphantly shortly after 6:00 pm at the IRATE & First Friends 13th annual Ash Wednesday vigil at the Elizabeth Detention Center, where we were greeted by over 100 other vigil goers and the NYC Catholic Worker Band.

Though our walk is over the journey continues. I invite you to join us and other people of all faith traditions who will gather at their local house of worship or elsewhere in their home community throughout the coming weeks of Lent to pray that this Lenten season we will all recognize the humanity of our brothers and sisters who are immigrants and that our society’s collective will be moved to justice.

For me, Ash Wednesday has been forever changed from the beginning of 40 days of atoning for personal sin to the beginning of a process of renewal a time of rebuilding our society to reflect the love of Jesus and justice of the Gospel. I will now look forward to Lent as a time of compassion and mercy; an opportunity to build relationships and community through acts of solidarity and understanding with the promise of rebirth that awaits us as we celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Endnote: The Lenten Campaign to “Recognize the Human Value of Immigrants” will culminate in a Migrants Way of the Cross beginning at 12:00 noon in Newark in front of the Hall of Records on April 22nd (Good Friday). All are welcome to attend.

Financial Gain from Federal Immigration Detention Contract Will Not Outweigh the Human Cost

At one of their upcoming meetings, the Essex County Freeholders will be voting on a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) regarding a proposed a new 2,700 bed facility in Essex County. This facility would constitute a significant expansion to the immigration detention system, more than doubling the current number of immigration detention beds currently in NJ.

What everyone needs to understand about immigration enforcement and detention is that it is a system that is flawed, that is extremely costly, that it separates families and that it negatively impacts our local economies and communities.

In 1996, when the Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act (IIRRA) was passed, detention became mandatory for those suspected of immigration violations (a civil offense under federal law). This quickly expanded a system of administrative detention comprised of about 3,000 beds to over 30,000 and growing. By the end of this year nearly 400,000 people will have passed through the immigration detention system and almost as many will have been deported.

Prior to this increase in detention and deportation the immigration court system was already overburdened and lacked oversight. In 2008, 214 immigration court judges decided 350,000 cases increasing the possibility for many more mistakes. In addition many of the rights meant to safeguard the innocent that apply in criminal cases such as the right to counsel, appeals, phone calls, etc. are not extended to people suspected of immigration violations.

Since 2003 over 100 people have died in immigration detention, some due to obvious medical neglect, though the count is uncertain because there is no process for reporting deaths in immigration detention and no investigation process.

Though it may be considered a money maker for Essex County, the new detention center will be paid for by our federal tax dollars. This year the immigration detention system will cost the US taxpayer $1.7 billon. The proposed Essex County complex alone will cost the US taxpayer in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars per day and in excess of $85 million per year. Just like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the war on immigrants is stealing money that could be used on much needed social programs.

Essex County will not see all of this money either as a private, for-profit company, namely Community Education Centers, or CEC, is said to be involved in the planned expansion. CEC has direct ties to both Joe DiVincenzo, the Essex County Executive and to Chris Christie. Bill Palatucci, Christie's former law firm partner and board member of Reform Jersey Now is an officer in CEC. Though Essex County had to participate in an open public bidding process with ICE there is no evidence that CEC did the same with Essex County.

Another nagging question is what will Essex County be getting for this money? Yes some jobs will be created, but it is unavoidable that the county will also be detaining and deporting long-time current residents, legal permanent residents and possible even US citizens for suspected immigration violations. Just over 23% of Essex County's population is foreign born, according to the most recent data from the US Census Bureau. Of this population, 71% have been in this country since before 2000 and 54% are not yet US Citizens. Under the current immigration system people with a legal claim to residency and even citizenship are often mistakenly detained and deported.

Once in the immigration system the burden falls on the individual to prove they have a legal right to be in the United States. Since they are not entitled to legal council, individuals, particularly those who are indigent or have limited ties to family or friends, can find that this is extremely difficult. As a result, the Boston College Law Post Deportation Human Rights Project (PDHRP) estimates that as many as 80,000- 100,000 people have been mistakenly deported. US citizens have been among them.

This was the case with Mark Lyttle who was born in Salisbury North Carolina. He was deported to Mexico in 2008 after serving 85 out of a 100 day sentence at the Pasquotank County Jail in North Carolina for a misdemeanor. Instead of being released Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made a determination that his real name was Jose Thomas, and that he was Mexican. Though he provided a social security number and the names of relatives, no one checked out his story. Since he had no money he could not afford the phone calls from detention to prove his case. Only after he managed to make his way from Mexico to a US embassy in Guatemala was his story checked out and he was repatriated to the United States.

Those in detention may be the primary breadwinners and caregivers to young children including children who are US citizens. Some 4 million children live in mixed immigration status families, where at least one parent is undocumented. Arguably, millions more live in families where one parent is a legal permanent resident who, because of the IIRRA, are at much greater risk of mandatory detention and deportation for minor non-violent offenses.

This increase in detention will negatively impact the local economy. Immigration detention removes workers and consumers from our local economies, reducing both economic output and consumer spending. Some of the residents of Essex County who will be incarcerated at the new detention center will be from mixed immigration status families, in which at least one parent is undocumented or is a legal permanent resident, and may include a spouse or children who are US citizens. Many will be the primary breadwinners or caregivers for their families. Their detention will only further burden our already stretched social services.

The Essex County Freeholders may be signing up to get big checks from the federal government, but how much will it cost the county and the state in the long run? These numbers that we talk about represent people, not commodities. Hundreds of thousands of lives continue to be ruined, and families continue to be separated. Does this short term financial gain really outweigh the lasting human cost of separated families and the removal of workers, business owners and active participants in our communities?

In-State Tuition Vote Postponed Until Monday

Yesterday, the sponsor of the In-State Tuition bill a1036 withdrew it from full Senate consideration until Monday in the hope that we can change the minds of two or three Democratic senators who currently oppose its passage.

Monday is our last chance!

Please everyone call the senators who are currently on the fence and urge them to vote yes. Please call each senator on this list*:

Senator Jeff Van Drew (District 1) - 609-465-0700

Senator Fred Madden (District 4) - 856-232-6700

Senator James Beach (District 6) - 856-489-3442

Senator Shirley Turner (District 15) - 609-530-3277

Senator Joseph Vitale (District 19) - 732-855-7441

Senator Nicholas Scutari (District 22) - 908-587-0404

*If you are a constituent of one of these particular senators - let him/her know.

*If you are not and you are asked say "Extending in-state tuition rates to unauthorized immigrants is beneficial to all New Jerseyans."

The Other Fight for Equality

Currently there is a largely progressive coalition that is fighting for equality for students. They are fighting for parity in tuition for students who are the least likely to be able to afford in-state tuition let alone the out-of state rate.

After nearly eight years the in-state tuition bill which would allow NJ students whose immigration status is undocumented to pay in-state tuition rates is finally on the floor of the state senate for a vote.

(It was scheduled for a vote yesterday, but delayed late in the day until Monday because we are just two votes short.)

Like many other bills in this lame duck session list is likely the last chance for this bill for at least the next four years since Chris Christie is opposed to it.

These are children who were brought here by their parents most have lived the majority of their lives in NJ. By virtue of living in NJ they have paid into the state system through sales tax and property taxes (even if it was paid through rent to a landlord), yet we continue to force them to pay out-of-state tuition rates at many colleges and universities.

I met some of them in Trenton on Monday. They are bright hard working and determined. Education is a way out and a way up for these kids. They have flourished despite great hardship. They desperately want an opportunity to continue their education, but their families are struggling just to provide the basic necessities for their children.

Out-of-state tuition which is usually double in-state rates is just a bridge too far for many of them. Others are forced to work two and three jobs and take only one or two classes a semester. They all keep working because they all have hope, some that their pending immigration petitions will be granted and other that some day, some how the current system will change.

NJ is the third most diverse state in the country. Our ability to accept each others differences and build on each others strength is part of what makes NJ so great.

Immigrant rights are human rights and one of those rights is a right to an education. Please support in-state tuition and treat these kids like we would any other child who calls NJ home.

Calls Needed to Pass the In-state Tuition Act

The In-State Tuition Act has been list for a vote in the NJ State Senate this coming Thursday January 7th.

The In State Tuition Act (ISTA) that would allow undocumented immigrant youth to pay in-state tuition rate for college was approved in the Appropriation Committee of both the state Assembly and Senate yesterday after eight long years of no movement.

The hearing rooms were packed with supporters. It was standing room only with overflow in the hallway. There was no organized opposition there to testify against the bills. The NJ Regional Coalition, NJ Immigration Policy Network and the NJ Catholic Conference did a great job coordinating testimony from affected students, religious, civic and community leaders.

Your Calls are Needed Now for Final Passage of this Bill

Please call your State Senator between now and Thursday morning and ask them to support S 1036. Below the talking points you will see a list of all the Senators. There will be a full Senate vote on Thursday Jan. 7th. You can say:

- In-State Tuition is critical for immigrant youth to access higher education.

- The report recently released by the State Legislative Affairs says providing resident tuition for undocumented high school graduates will not cost State of NJ any money.

- In-State Tuition is not a public benefit, it’s a way for immigrant youth who have been in NJ for most of their lives to pay more affordable college tuition. They will have to have attended three-year high school in NJ.

- Educating our children and young people will be beneficial for the State of NJ and everyone.



Senator Diane B. Allen Republican
District Office: 11 West Broad St., Burlington, NJ 08016 (609) 239-2800

Senator Bill Baroni Republican
District Office: 3691A Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 (609) 631-9988

Senator Christopher Bateman Republican
District Office: 36 East Main St., Somerville, NJ 08876 (908) 526-3600

Senator James Beach Democrat
District Office: 1916 Route 70 East, Suite 3, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 (856) 489-3442

Senator Jennifer Beck Republican
District Office: 32 Monmouth St., 3rd Floor, Red Bank, NJ 07701 (732) 933-1591

Senator Anthony R. Bucco Republican
District Office: 75 Bloomfield Ave., Suite 302, 3rd Floor, Denville, NJ 07834 (973) 627-9700

Senator Barbara Buono Democrat
District Office: Two Lincoln Highway, Suite 401, Edison, NJ 08820 (732) 205-1372

Senator Gerald Cardinale Republican
District Office: 350 Madison Ave., Cresskill, NJ 07626 (201) 567-2324

Senator Andrew R. Ciesla Republican
District Office: 852 Highway 70, Brick, NJ 08724 (732) 840-9028

Senator Richard J. Codey Democrat
District Office: 449 Mount Pleasant Ave., West Orange, NJ 07052 (973) 731-6770

Senator Christopher J. Connors Republican
District Office: 620 West Lacey Rd., Forked River, NJ 08731 (609) 693-6700

Senator Sandra B. Cunningham Democrat
District Office: 1738 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07305 (201) 451-5100

Senator Michael J. Doherty Republican
District Office: 127 Belvidere Ave., 2nd Floor, Washington, NJ 07882 (908) 835-0552

Senator Nia H. Gill, Esq. Democrat
District Office: 425 Bloomfield Avenue, 2nd Floor, Montclair, NJ 07042 (973) 509-0388

Senator John A. Girgenti Democrat
District Office: 507 Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ 07506 (973) 427-1229

Senator Robert M. Gordon Democrat
District Office: 14-25 Plaza Rd., P.O. Box 398, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 (201) 703-9779

Senator Philip E. Haines Republican
District Office: 32A North Main St., Medford, NJ 08055 (609) 654-1498

Senator Sean T. Kean Republican
District Office: 1955 Highway 34, Bldg. 2A, Wall Township, NJ 07719 (732) 974-0400

Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr. Republican
District Office: 425 North Ave. East, Suite C, Westfield, NJ 07090 (908) 232-3673
District Office: 57 Union Place, Suite 310, Summit, NJ 07901 (908) 918-0414
District Office: 251 North Ave. West, 2nd Floor, Westfield, NJ 07090 (908) 232-2073

Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr. Republican
District Office: 1715 Highway 35, Suite 303, Middletown, NJ 07748 (732) 671-3206

Senator Raymond J. Lesniak Democrat
District Office: 985 Stuyvesant Ave., Union, NJ 07083 (908) 624-0880

Senator Fred H. Madden, Jr. Democrat
District Office: 129 Johnson Rd., Suite 1, Turnersville, NJ 08012 (856) 232-6700
District Office: 1405 Chews Landing Rd., Suite 15, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021 (856) 401-3073

Senator Kevin J. O'Toole Republican Votes by Bill Votes by Subject
District Office: 155 Route 46 West, Suite 108, Wayne, NJ 07470 (973) 237-1360

Senator Steven V. Oroho Republican Votes by Bill Votes by Subject
District Office: 115 Demarest Rd., Suite 2B, Sparta, NJ 07871 (973) 300-0200
District Office: 227 Route 206, Bldg. 1, 1st Floor, Flanders, NJ 07836 (973) 584-4670

Senator Joseph Pennacchio Republican
District Office: 330 Changebridge Road, Suite 102, Pine Brook, NJ 07058 (973) 227-4012

Senator Dana L. Redd Democrat
District Office: 1 Market St., Suite 1F, Camden, NJ 08102 (856) 225-9068

Senator Ronald L. Rice Democrat
District Office: 1044 South Orange Ave., Newark, NJ 07106 (973) 371-5665

Senator M. Teresa Ruiz Democrat
District Office: 166 Bloomfield Ave., Newark, NJ 07104 (973) 484-1000

Senator Nicholas J. Sacco Democrat
District Office: 9060 Palisade Ave., North Bergen, NJ 07047 (201) 295-0200

Senator Paul A. Sarlo Democrat
District Office: 207 Hackensack St., 2nd Floor, Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075 (201) 804-8118

Senator Nicholas P. Scutari Democrat
District Office: 1514 E. Saint Georges Ave., 2nd Floor, Linden, NJ 07036 (908) 587-0404

Senator Robert W. Singer Republican
District Office: 2110 W. County Line Rd., Jackson, NJ 08527 (732) 901-0702

Senator Bob Smith Democrat
District Office: 216 Stelton Rd., Suite E-5, Piscataway, NJ 08854 (732) 752-0770

Senator Brian P. Stack Democrat
District Office: 5801 Palisade Ave., West New York, NJ 07093 (201) 861-5091
District Office: 301 45th St., 1st Floor, Union City, NJ 07087 (201) 558-7926

Senator Stephen M. Sweeney Democrat
District Office: 935 Kings Highway, Suite 400, West Deptford, NJ 08086 (856) 251-9801
District Office: 14 East Commerce St., 3rd Floor, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 (856) 455-1011
District Office: 199 East Broadway, Suite G, Salem, NJ 08079 (856) 339-0808

Senator Shirley K. Turner Democrat
District Office: 1440 Pennington Rd., Trenton, NJ 08618 (609) 530-3277

Senator Jeff Van Drew Democrat
District Office: 21 North Main St., Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 (609) 465-0700
District Office: 1124 North High St., Millville, NJ 08332 (856) 765-0891
District Office: 1028 East Landis Ave., Vineland, NJ 08360 (856) 696-7109
District Office: Additional Phone, Somers Point, NJ (609) 926-3779

Senator Joseph F. Vitale Democrat
District Office: 569 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge, NJ 07095 (732) 855-7441

Senator Loretta Weinberg Democrat
District Office: 545 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666 (201) 928-0100

Senator Jim Whelan Democrat
District Office: 511 Tilton Rd., Northfield, NJ 08225 (609) 383-1388

NJ In-State Tuition Bill Advances

The in-state tuition bill was released yesterday from both the Senate Budget Committee and the Assembly Appropriations Committee after eight long years of no movement.

The hearing rooms were packed with supporters. It was standing room only with overflow in the hallway. There was no organized opposition there to testify against the bills. The NJ Regional Coalition, NJ Immigration Policy Network and the NJ Catholic Conference did a great job coordinating testimony from affected students, religious, civic and community leaders.


What a day!

Please call Congress TODAY for Humane Immigration Reform

Today a group of over 70 individuals representing 25 groups from throughout the state led by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Immigrants Rights Program will be marching for seven miles from the federal building in Newark, NJ to the immigration detention center in Elizabeth in A Walk Toward Humane Immigration Policy.

Please help amplify their actions for humane immigration reform by adding your voice.

It may be particularly important for you to call your representative tomorrow.

If you live in one of the following four districts, your representative is considered a swing vote and his support could be pivotal in crafting immigration reform legislation next year.

District 2 – LoBiondo; District 3 – Adler; District 4 – Smith; District 7 - Lance


The future for the approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants, and the 4 million children living in mixed immigration status families could depend on your representative. Please urge him to reject xenophobia and encourage him to craft legislation that is fair, just, and compassionate.


Please call and say:

"Hello, my name is _____________ and I am a member of [Pax Christi NJ] calling about humane immigration reform. I am deeply concerned about:

* the indiscriminate detention and deportation of immigrants

* the lack of due process in the immigration court system

Please legislate for:

* a path to legal permanent residence for undocumented immigrants which respects the dignity and rights of all workers and families and re-unites immigrant families that have been separated.

Thank you for listening to my concerns. I will hold you, and all workers and families, especially immigrants in my daily prayers."


Please email me kolearypcnj@gmail.com after you have made your phone call so that we can track how many calls were made.

Ellis Island is Closed - Ash Wed Pilgrimage to the Elizabeth Detention Center

The idea of this event is to tie together the myth of Ellis Island that people associate as a symbol of our immigration system with the reality of the immigration detention center in Elizabeth and the other county jails and detention centers like it throughout the country.

We will do this by walking from one to the other.

Outline of the Day

§ 11:00 am Press conference & Prayer Service at Liberty State Park in-front of Ellis Island foot bridge.

§ 11:30 am begin pilgrimage with stops at houses of worship along the way

§ 6:00 pm end at Elizabeth Detention Center in time for the annual Ash Wed Vigil

§ In other parts of the state hold mid-day vigils emphasizing target congressional districts of 2, 3, 4 & 7.

§ Encourage as many people as possible to attend the vigil at the EDC in the evening.

§ Simultaneous call-in for those who cannot walk or attend a vigil.



Co-Sponsoring Organizations so far

Sister of Mercy of the Mid-Atlantic Justice Office

IRATE & First Friends

Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry – NJ

NJIPN

Wind of the Spirit

The Center for Community Change



Mid-day vigils throughout the state for those who cannot be in Jersey City -

Sisters of Mercy will hold vigils at noon in the 5 mother houses throughout the state. One is in Lakewood (Smith’s district), another is in Watchung (Lance’s district). These are two of NJIPN’s target districts. We should try to make sure there are mid-day vigils in the other target districts (LoBiondo and Adler).


Simultaneous call-in-

The Center for Community Change has reserved its toll-free call-in number for this event on Feb 17. We will be able to distribute a toll-free number for people to call. They will 1st hear a recording scripted by us with talking points about supporting immigration reform and our event. They will then be directed to the Congressional switchboard so they can ask to speak to their representative.


Pilgrims-

So far 6 people have signed up to walk the 10 mile route. The target is about 12. Probably better to keep this small a larger group will become unwieldy particularly when ferrying people across Lincoln Highway.

Route – There are several proposed stops, none of which have been confirmed yet. The proposed stops include: Assumption/All Saints, Islamic Center of Jersey City, Temple Beth-El and Grace Lutheran.

From Ellis Island to Assumption/All Saints (301 Whiton St., Jersey City, NJ)

1.7 miles – 33 minutes



From Assumption/All Saints to Islamic Center of Jersey City

0.6 miles 13 minutes



From Islamic Center of Jersey City to Temple Beth El (2419 JFK Blvd, Jersey City, NJ)

0.6 miles 11 minutes



Since we will not be able to walk over the bridges on Lincoln Highway, Temple Beth-El may be a good stopping off point. It provides a safe place to load people into cars, vans or a bus. We need a similar destination on the other side of the river on or near Raymond Blvd or Ferry St. For right now I am going to use Grace Community Lutheran on 7 Wilson Ave as the unloading point. As far as I can tell below is the most pedestrian friendly way to go. (This may need to be refined so there are less turns through Newark.)


From Grace Lutheran

7 Wilson Ave, Newark to

625 Evans St.

7.4 mi – about 2 hours 25 mins

Newark, NJ 07105


Planning Meeting

December 6th St. Joe’s Social Center (old church building) 118 Division St., Elizabeth

Immediately following the Stamp Out Despair Packing Party

Plan to arrive by 2:30 or come as early as 1:30 and help pack stationery & stamps for the EDC detainees.

Stamp Out Despair Packing Party & Ash Wed Pilgrimage Meeting

”I was a stranger and you welcomed me…I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25: 35-36

You are invited to the IRATE & First Friends Stamp Out Despair stationery packing party, 1:30 pm, Sunday, December 6th at St Joseph’s Social Service Center (in the old church building), 118 Division St. Elizabeth.

We will be putting together individual packages of stationery and stamps and writing notes of encouragement for the non-criminal immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center. The packages will be delivered before Christmas by the First Friends visitors program to each of the detainees to inform them of the visitors program and give them the ability to communicate with friends and family.

Immediately following the packing party there will be a planning meeting for the Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage from Ellis Island to the Elizabeth Detention Center which is being co-sponsored by Pax Christi NJ and IRATE & First Friends.

Please call 908-965-0455 or e-mail firstfriends2@juno.com for directions.

For more information on the First Friends visitors program go to www.irateweb.org/firstfirends.htm

Police Union in Morristown Says No to 287(g)

Good news for Morristown! The police union just announced it will not support the 287(g) program. The clock is running out on Mayor Cresitello's plan to implement 287(g) in Morristown. He will leave office at the end of December after failing to win the local democratic party's nomination. He will be replaced by Tim Dougherty another Democrat who defeated Jim Gervasio earlier this month. Both candidates voiced opposition to the 287(g) program which deputizes local law enforcement to act as immigration agents.

Advance Press Coverage & Final List of "We Are One Human Family" Vigils

We have been getting great advance press coverage of the We Are One Human Family Vigils. Over 10 articles have appeared in so far in local papers. This is a good sign that our events will be covered after the fact as well.

Please help us increase the turnout by inviting your friends and neighbors.

Below is the final list of vigils. Please note that the Dumont vigil will be held tonight and the Morristown vigil has two locations, one at 6:00 pm and one at 7:00 pm.

WHEN: Tuesday September 15th, 2009 (Except Dumont vigil, see below)

WHERE: (list of local vigil sites and local press contacts)

Newark - Peter Francisco Park (east side of Penn Station) 4:00 PM

Cynthia Mellon, Ironbound Community Corporation, 862-755-9577

Bridgeton – In front of the Courthouse on Broad St. 11:30 AM Pastor

Jamie Bagley, Karll’s Corner Community Fellowship, 856-455-7669

Dumont-Calvary United Methodist Church185 W Madison Ave; 7:30 PM, Bonnie Strain, 201-384-8324 [Note: this Vigil will held Monday, September 14th]

Freehold - Sheriff’s Office (corner of Main and Center Sts), 6:00 PM, Rita Dentino, Casa Freehold, 732-492-1852

Hightstown - St. Anthony of Padua Church, Franklin Street; 7:00 PM, Lenore Isleib, co-coordinator, St. Anthony's Social Justice Group, 609-448-6470

Jersey City - McGinley Square; Bergen Ave & Montgomery St. 4:00 PM, Kathy O’Leary, Pax Christi NJ, 973-610-1684

Highland Park - Reformed Church, 19 S. 2cd Ave; 4:00 PM, Pastor Seth Kaper-Dale, 732-249-7349

Keyport - St. Joseph’s Church 376 Maple Pl; 7:30 PM, Fr. Ronald Cioffi, 732-264-0322.

Montclair - Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair 67 Church St; 4:00 PM, Johanna Foster, 914-552-5376.

Morristown (2) – 1) St. Margaret's Church 6 Sussex Ave. 6:00 PM; 2) Pentecostal Church 59 Spring St.; 7:00 PM, Diana Mejia, Wind of the Spirit, 201-563-1062