Interfaith group protests ICE operations in Athens

We have long witnessed with deep concern ICE acting without due process against our immigrant neighbors across the country. In recent days, ICE has brought its unconstitutional and immoral actions to Athens:

● Both parents taken, their 11-year old daughter left to fend for herself.

● Workers taken from their job site.

● Disguised agents pounding on the door of homes while shouting “your car is on fire!,” then surrounding the homeowner when she rushes out.

None of these individuals had criminal records.

We were told that there would be selective targeting of immigrants who had committed violent crime. But here as elsewhere, those taken have been nonviolent, working people, taken from their families, their workplaces, their community, without due process. And they are placed in facilities in horrific conditions, and, once taken, access to them  even by members of Congress, has been restricted

Immigrant families who give so much to our community are now living in constant fear.

As people of faith, we are called to speak our moral guidance. All of our faith traditions teach that we are to love our neighbor, to welcome the stranger. We call on all people of faith to join us in bearing witness against this brutality and demanding our elected officials  stop this injustice. We also call on all people of faith to provide support for those who have been detained and for their families, including financial support by donating through the working group SIFIC (Supporting Immigrant Families In Crisis), on the web at tr.ee/SIFIC.

The Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition (ISC) is a faith-based group drawn from a cross-section of congregations dedicated to offering hospitality, safety, and opportunities for all immigrants, regardless of status. It includes Unitarian Universalists, Quakers, Methodists, Jews, Baptists, Episcopalians, Catholics, Presbyterians, and other people of faith. It is affiliated with the Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition.