Jewish Community Action's Progress by Pesach

Final Chance to sign the National Petition!!!

2009-04-01T13:36:00.001-05:00

“Progress by Pesach is a very important campaign. From a historical point of view we have had no stronger allies than those in the Jewish community. As more people stand in solidarity with the immigrant community, we will achieve comprehensive immigration reform!”

-Luis Gutierrez, US Congressman and leader of comprehensive immigration reform movement in an interview with Jane Ramsey, Executive Director of Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and a Progress by Pesach partner.

As we count down the last days of Progress by Pesach, there are some promising statements coming out of Washington about the use of immigration raids. Please see the article below that appeared in Sunday’s Washington Post regarding shifting strategy around the use of worksite immigration raids. The article mentions the increased pressure from immigrant advocates regarding a shift in strategy over the last several months.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032901109.html?nav=rss_email/components

There is still much work to be done. Even though Progress by Pesach will conclude with the start of Passover, Jewish Community Action encourages you to stay involved and connected as we continue our efforts to move forward and pass comprehensive and humane immigration reform. Stay tuned for an announcement of future steps with JCA’s Immigrant Rights Leadership Team coming soon, and:

If you have not already, please sign and forward on the the petition urging President Obama to issue an end to raids: http://www.progressbypesach.blogspot.com/

Additionally, we welcome you to join us on Tuesday, April 14^th for a noon press conference with Rep. Keith Ellison and other allies in calling for an end to raids and for a just immigration reform policy at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis.

Just as we will take time to remember when we were strangers in the land of Egypt this Passover, we will also take time to remember those affected by the Postville raid nearly one year ago. On May 12, 2009, we will mark this anniversary with a Moment of Rememberance and a Call to Action. Please stay tuned for more details and remember:

· the 29 mothers who still have not had their immigration trials and whose lives and lively-hood have been on hold ever since,

· the children, mothers and fathers whose families have been cold-heartedly ripped apart,

· the workers out of jobs, struggling to make ends meet

· the people in Guatemala and Mexico who are not receiving remittances because of detained, deported or out of work family members in the US,

· and the immigrant communities, faith communities, immigrant allies, lawyers, and translators in Postville and around the country who have worked tirelessly around the clock doing humanitarian, spiritual, political and emotional relief work.

To all those affected, we remember, and we say Dayenu!

(For a comprehensive list of all Progress by Pesach activities and events locally and for info on getting involved in the MN Immigrant Freedom Networks Dream Act Day on the Hill, please see attachments)

2.5 weeks till Pesach

2009-03-23T13:44:00.002-05:00

We are at just over 6,000 signatures and have 2.5 weeks left till Passover and the official closure of Progress by Pesach.

So far, Obama has not made any public statements about ending raids and we need to keep pushing him to make this a reality.

Please look at a website put together by the Postville Response Team for a reminder of just how important this campaign and the initiative to end raids is:

http://www.arch.pvt.k12.ia.us/PostvilleRelief/

Opportunities to help us collect signatures:

Wednesday March 25th: 11:45-1:30pm meet at JCA office
Wednesday April 1st: 11:45-1:30pm meet at JCA office

RSVP to join us: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org

Father Paul Ouderkirk and Paul Rael of Postville's St. Bridget's Church to speak at Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder

2009-03-12T15:21:00.004-05:00

Greetings,

As Jewish Community Action’s 7^th Annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder fast approaches, we are excited to announce Father Paul Ouderkirk and Paul Rael will be joining us to share their stories. Father Ouderkirk and Paul Rael have been at the center of the Postville relief efforts through their work at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church.

This year’s theme will focus on immigration and worker justice and will highlight two campaigns we are working on: Progress by Pesach – the Jewish call for an end to immigration raids and for immigration reform, and Hekhsher Tzedek- for worker justice in the kosher food producing industry. We will hear from community members affected by these issues and have time to take action for immigrant rights.

Sunday, March 22^nd
Doors at 2pm, event starts promptly at 3pm
Mt. Zion Temple
1300 Summit Ave.
St. Paul, MN

This is a community wide event and all are welcome

Light Seder food will be provided
Child care will be provided
$10-$15 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds
RSVP by March 16th to: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org

Updates Week 6 of Progress by Pesach:

· Screening of Welcome the Stranger a huge success at Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival:

Last night was the Premier of Welcome the Stranger at the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival at the Sabes JCC. Over 100 people attended and many asked about future screenings of the film as well as signed the petition for the Progress by Pesach campaign. Congratulations to MinnPost video journalist Steve Date on creating a beautiful piece on Postville. We will keep you posted on the completion of the trailer into a full length film.

· Signature Stats

As of this week, we have increased our signatures to 4,000! That means we have 3.5 weeks to get another 6,000 to reach our goal of 10,000 signatures – let us know if you want to help by hosting a house party for Progress by Pesach, we will get you everything you need to make it a success.

End of Campaign Event

Mark your calendars, Jewish Community Action is planning a post-Progress by Pesach wrap up Press event with congressional leaders on Tuesday, April 14^th at noon at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. This even will mark the end of Progress by Pesach and the continuation of our immigrant rights work in new directions, while continuing to push for passing of humane comprehensive immigration reform- more details coming soon.

· 4 ways in 4 weeks: There are still many opportunities to get involved:

1. Host a house party (we’ll help) – we have our first one in 2 weeks, and more will be confirmed shortly

2. Circulate the petition via Facebook (see Jewish Community Action’s Progress by Pesach under groups) and email, or print it up and carry it with you

3. Do a D’var Torah with an immigrant rights focus at your shul – JCA members have delivered 3 in just 6 weeks since the start of the campaign! (see attached or www.progressbypesach.blogspot to read them)

4. Hit the streets with us on your lunch hour and help collect signatures on March 18^th, 25^th or April 1^st anytime between 11:45pm and 1:30pm – just RSVP with lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org, JCA staff will join you.

And of course, sign the petition if you have not yet:

www.progressbypesach.blogspot.com on the right hand column – make sure to sign local and national version!

Lauren Bastien's D'var Torah at Mayim Rabim

2009-03-12T15:16:00.002-05:00

In the words of my ancestors, Gut Shabbos. Thank you so much to everyone at Mayim Rabim for welcoming me to your shul today to give the D'var and talk about immigration.

I want to start by sharing a little about this week’s Parsha Tetzaveh, which relates to G-d telling Moses about the specific clothing and anointing process for high priests in the Mishkans-the temporary temples the Israelites used while wandering in the desert. In Tetzaveh, specific instructions are also given about how to make the golden altar inside of the Mishkans. The priests are commanded to make an offering of matza bread, cakes and olive oil, plus sacrifice a bull and 2 rams for seven continuous days, in order to atone and to express deference to G-d.

The altars in the Mishkans remind us that all land is sacred and that spaces can be made sacred. In the context of immigration, we remember that this sacred land we are walking on was thriving and fully populated with first nations people before any immigrants or conquistadors arrived. So, when we hear phrases like "we are all immigrants," "this country was built by immigrants," etc., remember that this is not 100% accurate, and that Native Americans were living here first, and that not all immigrants came by choice, as in the history of African Americans.

This week's Shabbat is very special, it is the Shabbat before Purim, known as "Shabbat Zakhor," the Shabbat when we remember. Literally, we are told to "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you went out of Egypt...do not forget. (Devarim 26, 17-19)." This references Amalek, the nation that surprised the Israelites wandering in the desert in the Exodus from Egypt with an attack against the stragglers at the back.

Remembering is centrally important throughout Jewish tradition, spirituality and history, from the pre-Biblical, to Biblical days, to the present time. We take time during Purim to remember when Esther saved the Jews of Persia from the destructive plots of Haman, we take time during Pesach to remember when we were strangers in a strange land, our Exodus and later liberation, we take time during Yom Hashoah to remember the Holocaust, we take time during Shavuot to remember when we received Torah, we take time during Tisha B'av to remember the destruction of the 1st and 2nd temples, and modern tragedies for all peoples, we take time during the high holidays of Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur/Sukkot/Shmeini Atzerat/and Simhat Torah to remember the new year, the gifts of the earth and to celebrate life, we take time during Hanukah to remember miracles and victory, we take time during Tu B'shvat to remember the trees and all that they provide, and finally we take time during Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat to remember times of renewal and rest.

Within all of these opportunities for remembrance, there is one theme that would be nearly impossible to forget because it is commanded 36 times in the Torah- and that is welcoming the Stranger. As Jews, we were told for the first time three weeks ago in Mishpotim "And you shall not mistreat a stranger, nor shall you oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Later in Kedoshim, we are reminded again "The stranger who sojourns with you shall be as a native from among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." and so on 34 more times.

As Jews, we have had a lot of experience being the stranger- the Ger, and it is central to our identity. Whether we are newcomers to America or our families have been here for generations, we must still act with the memory of what that experience has meant for our ancestors, when we think about how we relate to new immigrants in this country today.

My family first set foot on American soil in the early 1900's arriving from Romania and Ukraine. They left behind a life I can only imagine from history books I have read and stories I have heard about pogroms, poverty and oppression. They were lucky to leave, and lucky that they came at a time when US laws were relatively open to Eastern Europeans. Had they been 10 years later, their story would have been different. In the mid- 1920's anyone coming from Eastern or Southern Europe would face quota restrictions and have a difficult time seeking out the opportunity and chance to better their lives in America, if they had been coming from China, the door would have been completely closed. Immigration laws have always been set by politics and economics, not by natural human patterns and needs. Today, our immigration system is broken and relies on enforcement only tactics like raids instead of fixing the problem.

Since its creation in 2003, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained thousands of people in raids on businesses and residences throughout the country. According to ICE, these raids are designed to protect public safety and national security by enforcing federal immigration law. However this is far from the truth and the vast majority of those caught up in raids are not criminals and do not threaten anyone’s' safety. Raids cause a considerable amount of hardship for immigrants and their families- both in the U.S. and in home countries- and for U.S. citizens.

Raids separate families, violate U.S. due process laws, hurt the economy, waste taxpayer money, misuse local police, and threaten the basic human rights of U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. The aftermath of a raid continues well after the operation is over, and towns are left to deal with the resulting humanitarian and economic crisis. Here are some facts to consider:

Facts: The Raids

In 2008, 5,100 people were taken into custody during workplace raids compared to 685 in 2004.1

Many raids involve violations of due process, including entering without a warrant, interrogation without reasonable suspicion, and racial profiling.

Many ICE raids have resulted in the interrogation and detention of U.S. citizens.

Facts: The Costs

In 2002, ICE's budget was $2.4B, in 2008 it was $5B. That's 80% more than the Environmental Protection Agency and $4B more than the State Dept. Failure to pass immigration reform has resulted in a bigger budget and a bigger problem.3a

Although ICE has not disclosed the amount spent on all of its 2008 raids, $5.2 million was spent on the Agriprocessors raid in Iowa. 389 workers were detained, making the cost $13,300 per detainee.

Facts: The Detention Centers

Over 300,000 people are held in immigration detention facilities each year. The annual cost to the government is nearly $2 billion.4

Approximately 67% of people detained in ICE raids are held in over 312 county and city prisons nationwide where DHS rents bed space and detained immigrants are mixed in with criminals. 5

Immigrants detained in raids can remain in detention centers for as long as three years.6 During this time, detainees are held in severely overcrowded facilities, sometimes 50% over design capacity.

Between January 2004 and November 2007, 67 people died while in custody in detention facilities, including 1 in MN. No government body is required to keep track of deaths and publicly report them.7

Facts: the Communities and Families

Although ICE does allow for the release of some detainees for humanitarian reasons, many undocumented immigrants are afraid to tell ICE agents that they have children. Children whose parents are detained and eventually deported, are sometimes put into the foster care system.8

5,000,000 U.S. citizens under the age of 18 have 1-2 undocumented parents. 9

Small towns and local economies are crippled by raids. In towns such as Laurel, Mississippi and Postville, Iowa, sites of the two largest ICE raids in U.S. history, the loss of taxpayers, tenants, and workers at businesses have caused property values to plummet and general economic crisis.

Just like our relatives came to this country seeking to improve their lives and those of their children, oftentimes escaping dire and life-threatening conditions, immigrants today come for the same reasons. And, while many of our immigrant ancestors came here legally, many came without documents because they had no other options-quotas were full, their home countries were unsafe, they could not feed their families, and they had nowhere else to go - it was a matter of survival. Similarly, the same is true of many recent immigrants.

Our Jewish DNA compels us to understand this and act accordingly. Basically, we are commanded, and hopefully know from that DNA:
• Not to enslave strangers
• Not to wrong strangers
• Not to oppress strangers
• Not to treat strangers differently from how you would treat those you know
• Not to keep strangers outside of the benefits being part of society.

However, too frequently, new immigrants are met with hostile policies, racist agendas and an un-welcoming atmosphere. This is simply wrong- we remember from our history all too well what this kind of mentality, and actions based on it, can lead to.

Immigrants today face hardships like many of our ancestors faced, including difficulty getting here and deplorable living conditions upon arrival. For example when Jews arrived to Ellis Island, some underwent dreaded medical exams and psychological tests. Many had been slated for deportation by the sometimes harsh and imperious acting immigration officials. Because of language barriers and legal formalities, immigrants scheduled to be deported were rarely able to defend themselves. Additionally, the Jewish community suffered from very difficult working conditions.

Many new immigrants are exploited by greedy employers ready and willing to ignore US labor laws. And many immigrants are forced to live in the shadows, unwelcome to receive any of society’s benefits and safety nets. Additionally, many immigrants are forced to live life in fear- fear of deportation, fear of police and racial profiling, fear of many things we take for granted. For example, the ramifications for getting caught speeding go well beyond a pinch to the pocketbook.

Today, there is virtually no path to citizenship for the majority of newcomers, especially those coming from the Global south. Many immigrants are faced with tough choices when leaving their home countries and often are forced to separate from family and friends. The wait for family re-unification is over 20 years for many countries.

Because of this unjust treatment of the Ger, and because our history and Jewish teachings compel us, we must stand in solidarity with immigrants and demand they be treated with the same dignity, respect, human rights and openness that we expect as citizens. We must remember to our core what it is to be the stranger, the immigrant, and act accordingly.

But, it is not enough just to remember, if we do not remember to act. Right now between Purim and Passover, Jewish Community Action is half way through a campaign called Progress by Pesach- the Jewish call for an end to immigration raids and for immigration reform emphasizing family re-unification, a path to citizenship, legalize future migration, protect human rights, ensure due process of law, and protect workers and employers. The goal is that by Passover, which coincides with Obama's first 100 days, his administration will have signed an executive order ending raids, and thus making progress towards the long term goal of immigration reform.

Jewish Community Action, along with over 20 national Jewish partner organizations, is echoing the call for ending raids being made by hundreds of thousands of immigrant and immigrant rights groups.

At the end of Shabbat, I welcome all of you to get involved in Progress by Pesach. You can do so in simple ways like signing our local and national petitions and letter, or you can become involved in our team that plans and organizes events, educational workshops and mobilizations.

I also welcome all of you to attend Jewish Community Action's 7th Annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder on March 22nd at Mt. Zion Temple and I would be happy to tell you more about that after services, but before I forget, back to Zakhor, remembering.

Lastly, as the one year anniversary of the Postville, Iowa raid approaches on May 12, we take time to remember those affected by the human-made crisis:

-the 29 mothers who still have not had their immigration trials and whose lives and lively-hood have been on hold ever since,
-the children, mothers and fathers whose families have been cold-heartedly ripped apart,
-the workers out of jobs, struggling to make ends meet
-the people in Guatemala and Mexico who are not receiving remittances because of detained, deported or out of work family members in the US,
-and the immigrant communities, faith communities, immigrant allies, lawyers, and translators in Postville and around the country who have worked tirelessly around the clock doing humanitarian, spiritual, political and emotional relief work.

To all those affected, we remember, and we say no more. Shabbat Shalom.

Leonard Oppenheimer's D'var Torah at Beth Jacob

2009-03-12T15:14:00.001-05:00

Shabbat Shalom.

Right now in America, a major employer is disrupted, its workforce cut by the hundreds or thousands. And a detention camp holds people without access to our usual rights and liberties.

But, the employees will not be laid off because of the recession.

There are no terrorists in this camp; it’s not in Cuba, & President Obama has not ordered it to be closed.

Losing their jobs, being held without rights are America’s undocumented immigrants – our country’s mixed multitude.

Postville Iowa does not stand alone – it is a microcosm of a larger problem across our land. I want to invite you to help teach Torah and change policy as part of the JCA’s “Progress by Pesach” campaign – to end, within the first hundred days of the new Obama administration, the destructive immigration enforcement raids begun under the previous administration.

How does this tie to what we’ve been reading in Shmot?

Rewind: 3000 years ago, it was much the same – a pivotal time of change. In our first hundred days as a people, we left Egypt with a mixed multitude, crossed the Sea of Reeds, and encamped at Mount Sinai. The next ten months at Sinai will establish:

a judiciary, courtesy of Jethro,

laws and policies, from G-d

a tabernable, built by the people to G-d specs

and a functioning community.

In this week’s parsha, T’Tzavveh, we get detailed instructions for building the Mishkan, a visible structure for G-d’s presence among the people and for swearing in Aaron as the Cohen-General. Aaron will sport the ephod, a breastplate set with semi-precious gems representing each of the twelve tribes and inscribed “Holy to the Lord”, to reminding him of his role representing the children of Israel before G-d.

And who is missing?

The first missing person is our new leader. T’Tzavveh is the only parsha, from Shmot forward, that omits our leader – Moses. Many commentators say that Moses’s absence is to leave room for Aaron. But perhaps, we should see Moses’ absence as leaving room for the our responsible involvement in making decision and a warning against rely on any one leader to fix our problems. Finally, Moses’s absence in this parsha makes us think of the seder haggadah and the invitation for you to join us for the JCA Freedom Seder at 3PM on Sunday March 22 at Mt. Zion Temple.

Also missing are the strangers among us. Etz Chaim commentary describes “a mixed multitude” of “varied groups of forced laborers…” who left Egypt with us. Since then, more strangers have joined us on our journey, coming to live and work with us. Yet these strangers may not share our culture, our religion, or even our language. So, how will we, this new people emerging at Sinai, treat the strangers among us?

G-d could have instructed the people: “When you reach the promised land, erect strong walls at your borders, to keep out the strangers, the non-believers, the others; that your jobs shall remain only with your people and that different ways shall not come amidst the community of Israel.”

Instead the Torah paints exactly the opposite vision: we are expected to live in an open land, in successful communities that will, in all likelihood, attract strangers who are different than us.

All great societies do this – attract, and even invite strangers to join us, to work amongst us.

Ancient Egypt began this way. The Joseph saga culminates with Pharoah’s invitation to the children of Israel to come to Egypt to settle and to work in the land of Goshen. And they can have those smelly, menial jobs that cultured Egyptians won’t do: being shepherds.

400 years later, the children of Israel multiplied into hundreds of thousands. But, changing, wiser, cagier government policy enslaved and oppressed them. Families were ripped apart, literally, as children were separated from parents and drowned in the Nile.

The Torah gives us a reminder - one commandment, one reminder, for every 11 years of suffering in captivity in Egypt: Not just once or twice, but 36 times, in the most repeated commandment in Torah, we are taught about our obligation to the stranger and the vulnerable:

I won’t read all 36 to you. Here is a sampling

In Shmot, in Mishpatim we learn:

“You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” [Exodus 23: 9]

In Va-Yikra, in K’doshim, we learn:

“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt…” Leviticus 19:33-34

So a summary of the Torah’s immigration laws still resonates today:

· Don’t enslave strangers.

· Don’t wrong strangers.

· Don’t oppress strangers.

· Treat strangers with respect and compassion.

· Provide strangers who accept our ways a pathway to citizenship and integration into our society.

And the irony of history or divine plan was that for thousands of years, our people have been the immigrants, the strangers, the vulnerable resident aliens in the midst of other nations. Will we remember the feelings of our families, and of similar families today --- the feelings and the desperation that impelled them to move when times and places became untenable?

Fast-forward all the way to the present: Wealthy, safe first-world societies still attract and invite strangers to live and work amongst us – filling the menial, tough jobs we don’t want.

In the United States, our current harsh and unrealistic immigration policies push over 50% of our immigrants to come here without documents, with total numbers swelling to over 12 million people.

Have you detected these immigrants? Have you seen the rebuilt stores and the vibrant community rebuilding on Lake Street? Have you heard “Oprime ocho par espagnol” on a menu? I’m sure you haven’t personally oppressed any strangers. Maybe you even tipped a Somali cab-driver or the Hispanic maid in your hotel. So you are in the clear – right?

But in reality, our communal response to immigrants is quite different than how we would act as individuals. And over time, our policies have become increasing harsh and inhumane.

Today, there is no pathway to citizenship for our undocumented, mixed multitude of 12 million strangers. Everyone knows that we cannot deport 12 million people – can you imagine any system that could extract 12 million men women and children from our communities, their jobs, their homes and their schools? And if we could imagine a horror on this scale, would we think it a wise use of our money or an ethical way to treat our neighbors?

While our past administration knew that it couldn’t deport all the undocumented, it felt it could crank up immigration enforcement, creating a small-scale symbolic deportation system. First it convinced Congress we had a security issue – we wouldn’t hunt down ordinary undocumented immigrants, but we surely needed to track down the criminals living among us. Funding and arrest quotas were increased – and the nominally sounding “fugitive operations program” began in 2003.

The numbers?

The policy of mass workplace and neighborhood raids arrested strangers at a rate of 20,000 per year. At this rate, it will take just 600 years to deport all the undocumented immigrants. I didn’t say to deport all the criminals - because we aren’t catching them. Our prior administration, through executive policy choices, redirected this program away from hunting the small percentage of truly dangerous criminals to achieving those expanded arrest quotas. Almost ¾ of the 100,000 people rounded up in the past 5 years are undocumented immigrants with no criminal record.

And the workers?

Federal teams have surrounded workplaces and neighborhoods. The workers caught in the raids are engine re-manufacturers in Washington, meatpackers in Minnesota and Iowa, and others. They will be arrested for civil immigration violations – not for criminal offenses.

And the detention camps?

Surely our people and our country have seen enough of these…

From mass arrests and conveyor belt justice, the immigrants are moved to detention camps, part of a large gulag across our country, housing 33,000 immigrants on any given day and where 80 immigrants have died while in custody since 2005.

And the families?

Like the instructions of Pharoah, we have separated families: husbands from wives and children, some US citizens, from their parents. We have disrupted neighborhoods and workplaces, sowing fear and confusion among immigrant communities. We move those arrested to far those away detention facilities, keeping key details of their whereabouts from their families and their communities.

And what have we at Beth Jacob seen and what did we learn?

Our congregation was uniquely touched by the catastrophic and uncompassionate raid and aftermath in Postville Iowa. Like G-d’s own Venn diagram, we saw the overlap of kosher meat production with the policy of mass raids on immigrant workers. We can be proud of our Hechsher Tzedek campaign as an important answer to the consumer and ethical side of how kosher food is produced.

Yet, if Postville was our private wake-up call, I fear we are in danger of drifting back to sleep. The Guatemalans workers and their families have been deported. We cannot let their departure let our ethical compass waver. We cannot forget that the cruelty and inhumanity we saw in Postville IA has been repeated in Richfield MN, Worthington MN, Houston TX, Newark NJ, Boulder Co and in scores of other communities…

Journey with me, from Purim through Pesach.

At Purim, scholars point out that Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, oppressed the Jews of Persia in the same way that his ancestors attacked the vulnerable among our people as they marched in the desert. Here’s another message in the Purim story: Haman asked for and received a change in government policy against the Jews, the strangers, in Persia; and even when Achashveros knew his decision needed to be reversed, no one was permitted to change the King’s decree.

Thankfully, we live in a democracy. We can influence and change the executive decisions of our leader. By Pesach, our new administration will be passing through its “first 100-days”– that pivotal period for our new president and our new government, and for initiating changed policies for our people.

We really are at a critical point when our government wants and needs to hear from you. Just 2 weeks ago, a month into the new President’s watch, continuing the failed policies of the past administration, immigration agents swept down and raided Yamato Engine Specialists in Bellingham, Washington. It was news to those of us who had hoped that this administration would stop the raids. And surprisingly, it was also news to the Executive Branch – to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who promptly ordered a review of the action and the policy. So the Executive Branch is actively considering our choices right now.

On Wednesday, the New York Times editorial page opined: “Are Mr. Obama and Ms. Napolitano in charge or not? Let them show it by ending the raids…”

In just a few minutes, before this Torah Service ends, we will say a prayer for our country and its leaders. We pray to “Teach them insights from Your Torah…” In our democracy, we have easy ways (like email and petitions) to teach Torah insights and policy changes to our leaders.

In the long-term we’ll need your help to influence the legislative branch, Congress, to change our laws to allow a saner, effective, compassionate immigration system and a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants already here.

In the medium term, you can join us to learn more about “Progress by Pesach” and fair and halachic treatment of immigrants at the Freedom Seder on Sunday March 22.

In the “short–term”, that’s a halachic term that means tonight, after Havdala and definitely before you forget about the Guatemalans from Postville or the latest raid in Bellingham or the halacha (36 times strong) about how we treat the stranger, all of us can take action to influence the review now underway in the Executive Branch. In the service sheet, and in “This Week @ Beth Jacob”, you will find links to help you quickly and easily send an email to our new President and to sign on to the national and local “Progress by Pesach” petitions. And we are all honored that Rabbi Allen will be one of those presenting the petitions in Washington DC in April as a representative of JCA and our community. Please take action tonight to help us end the raids by treating our mixed multitude with compassion and with respect, for we were once those strangers.

Shabbat Shalom.

Bill Lerman's D'var Torah for Temple of Aaron

2009-03-12T15:04:00.001-05:00

Shabbat Shalom

In last week’s parsha – Mishpatim, Exodus 22:20 – we are instructed: You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in Egypt. This is the first of 36 times in the Torah that we are cautioned about behavior toward a stranger. As Rabbi Harold Kushner says in the commentary of your Etz Hayyim: “The decency of a society is measured by how it cares for its least powerful members.

About 120 years ago my great grandparents came from Latvia to this country on their honeymoon. They liked it so much here that they decided to stay. According to the immigration laws at that time, this was no problem. Our borders were open for white people. This remained true until 1924. During this period many of our ancestors came to this country. In 1924, the doors were closed. It became almost impossible for Jews to enter this country and for those who did enter the wait could be years. Because of this political decision, Jews were not able to escape Europe. We don’t know how many of the 6,000,000 of our brothers and sisters would have been able to escape their fate if the doors had been open, but it surely would have been many thousands. Immigration laws have always been about political needs not about some imagined financial or physical ability to absorb immigrants. Today we have a system that is broken.
Since its creation in 2003, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained thousands of people in raids on businesses and residences throughout the country. According to ICE, these raids are designed to protect public safety and national security by enforcing federal immigration law. However, these raids cause a considerable amount of hardship for immigrants and their families- both in the U.S. and in home countries- and for U.S. citizens.

Raids separate families, violate U.S. due process laws, hurt the economy, waste taxpayer money, misuse local police, and threaten the basic human rights of U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike.

Facts: The Raids
* In 2008, 5,100 were taken into custody during workplace raids compared to 685 in 2004.
* Many raids involve violations of due process, including entering without a warrant, interrogation without reasonable suspicion of unlawful immigration status, and racial profiling.

Facts: The Costs

* In 2008, ICE’s budget was $5B. That’s 80% more than the Environmental Protection Agency and $4B more than the Department of State

* Although ICE has not disclosed the amount spent on all of its 2008 raids, $5.2 million was spent on the raid on Agriprocessors in Iowa. 389 workers were detained, making the cost $13,300 per detainee.
* It costs approximately $95 per person per night to keep a person in a detention center.

Facts: The Detention Centers
* Over 300,000 people are held in immigration detention facilities each year at an annual cost to the government of nearly $2 billion.
* Approximately 67% of people detained in ICE raids are not held in Department of Homeland Security detention centers. Instead, they are detained in over 312 county and city prisons nationwide where DHS rents bed space. Detained immigrants are mixed in with incarcerated criminals.
* Immigrants detained in raids can remain in detention centers for as long as three years. During this time, detainees are held in severely overcrowded facilities, sometimes 50% over design capacity.

Facts: The Communities and Families
Many of these immigrants come with there families who then suffer because of the ICE raids even though many of the children are U. S. citizens.
* 5,000,000 U.S. citizens under the age of 18 have 1-2 undocumented parents.
* Small towns and local economies can be crippled by immigration raids. In towns such as Laurel, Mississippi and Postville, Iowa, sites of the two largest ICE raids in U.S. history, the loss of taxpayers, tenants, and workers at businesses have caused property values to plummet and general economic crisis.
Whether you agree or disagree that these immigrants should be allowed to be in the country, there are two important facts to consider: 1) These people came to this country like almost everyone does and did to find work and make a better life; and 2) our immigration system needs to be reformed.

What can be done to hasten this reform?
Jewish Community Action and partners across the country, including: Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (Chicago), Jews United For Justice (D.C.), Progressive Jewish Alliance (Los Angeles), Jews For Racial and Economic Justice (NY), JCRC of Southern Arizona, JCRC of Greater Washington, Uri L’Tzedek (NY), Miklat! A Jewish Response to Displacement (Milwaukee), the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, B’nai B’rith Intl., Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, National Council of Jewish Women, Union for Reform Judaism, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, Jewish Labor Committee, and the Rabbinical Assembly invite you to join in a campaign called Progress by Pesach. The goal is simple: an end to immigration raids by Passover.
For Jews, Passover is a time when we celebrate our freedom from bondage, remember when we were strangers in a strange land, and connect our history to modern-day liberation struggles.
This year, Passover coincides with the end of the Obama Administration’s First 100 Days. The campaign calls upon President Obama to issue an executive order ending immigration raids immediately. This would demonstrate that real progress has been made toward the long-term goal of fair, humane, comprehensive federal immigration reform and is an important part of supporting immigrants and communities.

President Obama will only sign an executive order ending immigration raids if we make sure our voices are heard loudly along with the voices of immigrants and allies. Recently there was an ICE raid in Bellingham, Washington.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has ordered a review of this raid that ended with the arrests of 28 illegal immigrants. She wants to know why the Tuesday raid happened and all background information, as she looks into the case.
President Obama, who appointed Napolitano, has signaled for a shift in immigration policy that would rely less on work site enforcement, focusing instead on employers who hire illegal immigrants and overall immigration reform.
We need fair, humane, comprehensive federal immigration reform to protect the rights of all people. This reform would provide a path to citizenship, emphasize family reunification, legalize future migration, protect human rights, ensure dignity and due process of law, and protect workers and employers. We cannot rely on enforcement only tactics like raids to fix our broken immigration system.

Many of our ancestors came to this country when immigration laws were different, and at times they were excluded by U.S. immigration policy. Some of our ancestors also arrived without documents too. Until CFIR is passed, there is virtually no path to legal residency and citizenship available to the majority of new immigrants.

What can you do?
Join Jewish Community Action in raising your voice by signing this petition. It will be in the small chapel as you enter. Or go to jewish community action.org and sign on line.

You can also join Jewish Community Action at its 7th annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder on March 22, 2009 and use our Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder inserts at your families’ Passover celebration in April.
Again I would like to thank the Rabbi and also the Rosenblum’s for this opportunity to speak.

Progress by Pesach This Week: Mpls Jewish Film Festival

2009-03-10T09:59:00.003-05:00

Weds, March 11
8:15PM
Sabes JCC

Welcome the Stranger (SHORT)
Director: Steven Date | USA, 2009 | 11 minutes | English and Spanish with English subtitles
On May 12, 2008, approximately 900 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) agents entered the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in the small town of Postville, Iowa and arrested nearly 400 workers. Instead of charging the undocumented workers with immigration violations, for the first time, many were charged with felonies and sentenced to 5 month prison terms plus deportation. On July 27, 2008 Jewish Community Action, along with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (Chicago) and St. Bridget Catholic Church (Postville), led a rally in Postville calling for immigrant and worker rights, in solidarity with those affected by the immigration raid.
Welcome the Stranger, a film currently in production by MinnPost videojournalist Steven Date and Jewish Community Action takes you to the rally in Postville to see and hear Rabbis, Christian clergy, workers and their families come together in support of worker and immigrant rights. Steven Date and Lauren Bastien from Jewish Community Action will present this work in progress.

Strangers Following Welcome the Stranger Screening
Directors: Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv | Israel, 2007 | 85 minutes | Arabic, English, French and Hebrew, with English subtitles
An accidental meeting sparks an improbable romance linking an Israeli kibbutznik and a Palestinian woman in this critically-acclaimed exploration of nationality and the heart. Eyal and Rana (superb improvisation by actors Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal) meet serendipitously on their way to the World Cup soccer finals in Berlin after their bags are mistakenly swapped. A quick magnetic glance on a subway soon becomes an unbreakable bond, even as war in their homeland tests loyalties. Innovatively filmed with handheld cameras and unscripted performances, Strangers presents a strikingly realistic treatment of a complex relationship in which politics and personalities collide. (Summary courtesy of Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, 2009)
Warning: Mature Sexual Content
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival

Welcome the Stranger (short) followed by Strangers
wednesday, march 11
8:15 pm, sabesjcc
For a full schedule, tickets, venue and sponsorship information, visit
www.mplsjff.org or call 952.381.3499.
Sabes Jewish Community Center
Jay and Rose Phillips Building
Barry Family Campus
4330 S. Cedar Lake Road
Minneapolis, MN 55416

Week 5 Update

2009-03-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

· Campaign Updates

· 6 Reasons why the Jewish Community Should Respond to the Call of Justice and Act on Immigration Reform and Ending Raids

· Mpls Jewish Film Festival Showing of “Welcome the Stranger” trailer by Steve Date, on Postville (flier attached for circulation)

· 7^th Annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder (flier attached for circulation)

Campaign Updates:

Jewish Community Action is happy to say that Progress by Pesach has been overwhelmingly embraced by the American Jewish community. Supporters range from affiliated to non-affiliated, Renewal to Orthodoxy, institutional to informal, as well as countless supporters from immigrant and immigrant rights communities. Seeing this kind of support for immigrant rights coming out of our community is inspiring to us, and we hope it is to you too.

-1,600 + signatures collected, we still need 8,400 more to reach our goal of 10,000

-21 National and locally based Jewish organizations have signed on and are actively working on and engaging in the campaign- that means tens of thousands of people in our communities are learning about and acting for immigrant rights!

-Locally, JCA members and volunteers are hosting house parties and giving D’vars about immigration issues and Progress by Pesach at their congregations – if you want to join in, just let us know.

Sign the petition and letters at www.progressbypesach.blogspot.com – look for local and national versions in right hand column.

Already signed petition? Forward on to your friend and family.

Six Reasons - Among Many Others - Why the Jewish Community Should Respond to the Call for Justice and Act on Immigration Reform Including an End to Raids:

36 Instances in the Torah Instruct Us to Care for the Stranger in Our Land, Recalling Our Time in Egypt:
Leviticus 19:33 commands, "When a stranger (ger) resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The ger who dwells with you should be like one of your citizens."

Jewish Tradition Demands that We Redeem the Captive
Today, a multitude of immigrants and asylum seekers spend their days in U.S. detention centers facing deportation. Detained immigrants are separated from their families and are often kept in deplorable conditions without access to proper medical care.

Jewish Values Command Us to Care for the Poor:
Many undocumented workers are exploited by their employers, who take advantage of their vulnerable situation forcing them to endure unsafe working conditions and low wages.
We are commanded in Deuteronomy Chapter 15: 7 to care for the poor in our land as it is said: “If there be among you a needy man, […] you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your needy brother”

Our Jewish Journey Obligates Us to Identify with the Immigration Struggle
“[H]istorically, the Jew has been considered an alien; a stranger, an outsider even in host societies where Jewish communities had flourished for thousands of years. Indeed, the traditional founder of Judaism, the Patriarch Abraham, was himself a migrant when he followed the call to leave his kinmen and his birthplace, Ur Khasdim, with its many associations and memories, and to migrate as a stranger and wanderer to Canaan, the Promised Land. From the Jewish perspective, migration has not only served as a safety valve to escape possible destruction; it may also be considered the loom upon which the distinctive and variegated pattern of Jewish history has been woven through the ages.”

Our Own Jewish History Calls on Us to Respond with a Strong Voice to the Immigration Crisis
When Jews arrived in Eastern Europe in the early 20^th century, they faced harsh and difficult immigration policies and then deplorable living conditions once they finally arrive in the US. For example, when Jews arrived at Ellis Island, they underwent dreaded medical examinations and psychological tests. Moreover, many had been slated for deportation by the sometimes harsh and imperious-acting officials. Because of language barriers and legal formalities, immigrants scheduled to be deported were rarely able to defend themselves. Jewish institutional intervention with the Board of inquiry on their behalf effectively decreased the number sent back.

Our Experience Advocating for Immigration Reform Mandates Us to TAKE ACTION NOW
The Jewish community and its institutions have been actively engaged in the struggles of new immigrants and in the development of the nation’s immigration policy from the early 19^th century until today. We have advocated against the national origin quota systems, championed the cause of refugees, and fought to restore due process protections and access to public benefits.

Courtesy of Irene Lehrer Sandalow at Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (Chicago)

Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival Presents: Premier screening of Welcome the Stranger

A trailer to the full length film coming soon about the July 09 Postville Solidarity Rally, by Steve Date and Jewish Community Action

Wednesday, March 11 @ 8:15PM at the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival (Sabes JCC) in Minneapolis

On May 12, 2008, approximately 900 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) agents entered the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in the small town of Postville, Iowa and arrested nearly 400 workers. Instead of charging the undocumented workers with immigration violations, for the first time, many were charged with felonies and sentenced to 5 month prison terms plus deportation. On July 27, 2008 Jewish Community Action, along with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (Chicago) and St. Bridget Catholic Church (Postville), led a rally in Postville calling for immigrant and worker rights, in solidarity with those affected by the immigration raid.

Welcome the Stranger, a film currently in production by MinnPost video journalist Steve Date and Jewish Community Action takes you to the rally in Postville to see and hear Rabbis, Christian clergy, workers and their families come together in support of worker and immigrant rights.

To order tickets: www.mplsjff.org, FFI: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org

Jewish Community Action’s 7th Annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder

Sunday, March 22 doors @ 2PM, event starts promptly at 3PM at Mount Zion Temple in St. Paul

$5-$10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds, light Seder food will be provided, families and all ages welcome

Passover is a time when we celebrate our freedom from bondage, remember when we were strangers in a strange land, and connect our history to modern-day liberation struggles. Our Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder brings together people from diverse backgrounds to share the story of Passover and its message of freedom. This year the theme is immigrant rights and worker justice. We will highlight two campaigns: Progress by Pesach, the Jewish call for an end to immigration raids and Hekhsher Tzedek, a consumer effort to improve the working conditions in the kosher food industry.

Please RSVP by March 12^th: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org, 651.632.2184

RAIDS CONTINUE, URGENT NEED TO END THEM

2009-02-25T16:52:00.001-06:00

RAIDS ARE STILL HAPPENING

It’s not over yet. Things were looking up, no worksite immigration raids since Obama’s election, until yesterday. In Bellingham, WA, 28 workers were arrested in an immigration raid at a remanufacturing plant and deportation proceedings have begun. (read full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008781541_webraid24m.html)

Now more than ever is the time to make our voices heard in calling for an end to immigration raids and in favor of passing humane, federal, comprehensive immigration reform.

Immigration officials raid Bellingham plant

Immigration officers today raided an engine remanufacturing plant in Bellingham, arrested 28 illegal immigrant workers and began processing them for deportation.

By Lornet Turnbull

Seattle Times staff reporter

Immigration officers today raided an engine remanufacturing plant in Bellingham, arrested 28 illegal immigrant workers and began processing them for deportation.

The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at Yamato Engine Specialists in Bellingham.

ICE officials say the 25 men and three women — most of them from Mexico — may have gained employment at Yamato using phony social security numbers and other counterfeit identity documents.

Yamato officials, who said they had been cooperating with ICE since last fall when investigators began looking at employment documents, were shocked by today's raid.

In fact, three of the workers arrested today had been cleared as having legitimate documents during an employment records audit by ICE in 2005, said Yamato spokeswoman Shirin Dhanani Makalai.

We have been audited before so we do due diligence to get the proper paperwork," Makalai said. "People bring you paperwork that by law you are required to accept. You can't always tell if it's not correct."

With about 100 workers, Yamato specializes in rebuilding Japanese car engines and transmissions.

ICE investigators began looking into its employment records following the arrest of a criminal illegal immigrant who had previously worked there.

After being processed earlier today, officials released three of the immigrants on humanitarian grounds. The others are being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

"The lure of jobs in the United States continues to be one of the primary factors fueling illegal immigration," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Seattle.

"ICE remains committed to investigating cases where the evidence shows employment laws are being violated."

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com

Upcoming Community Wide Events

2009-02-25T16:49:00.002-06:00

Upcoming Events:

*NEXT IRLT MEETING, Tuesday, March 3 from 6-8pm at Macalester College, Old Main Building Room 003*

· Premier screening of Welcome the Stranger

A film by Steve Date and Jewish Community Action about Postville

Wednesday, March 11 @ 8:15PM at the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival (Sabes JCC) in Minneapolis

To order tickets: www.mplsjff.org, FFI: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org

· Jewish Community Action’s 7th Annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder

Sunday, March 22 doors @ 2PM, event starts promptly at 3PM at Mount Zion Temple in St. Paul

$5-$10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds, light Seder food will be provided, families and all ages welcome

Please RSVP by March 12^th: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org, 651.632.2184

Updates from the Field

2009-02-25T16:47:00.000-06:00

Campaign Update:

· There are 2 more co-signers to the campaign, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Justice (JALSA) and Women of Reform Judaism, bringing the total up to 20 Jewish organizations!

· We’ve collected over 1,000 signatures, but we still need at least 9,000 more in the next 5 weeks to make our goal.

5 Easy Things You Can Do...

2009-02-25T16:46:00.000-06:00

Be a Part of the Action:

1. Attend the next IRLT meeting on Tuesday, March 3 at Macalester College from 6-8:00PM, ffi: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org

2. Host Progress by Pesach House Parties for friends, family and neighbors - we'll help you create a great event!

3. Send the petitions and letter around to everyone you know, you can even print a paper copy and take it with you at: www.progressbypesach.blogspot.com

4. Help with phone banking for signatures, just call us for a date/time 651.632.2184

5. Gather a group and hit the streets with petitions, we will help you with materials and location/date suggestions, call 651.632.2184 for more info

Progress by Pesach: Week 3 Update

2009-02-17T16:42:00.000-06:00

The buzz in Washington: The entire Congressional Hispanic Caucus is meeting with Obama to talk about two things: stopping immigration raids and passing comprehensive immigration reform, the same things we are talking to Obama about!

The buzz around Progress by Pesach: There are 18 national organizations that have signed onto the campaign. Jewish Community Action has already collected over 350 signatures alone!

Here's a roster of all the work that volunteers and leaders have been up to so far:

• Jan 24th: presented workshop at the Adath Cultural Sampler
• Jan 25th: collected signatures at an immigration event in the Liberian community
• Feb 8th: collected signatures at Shir Tikvah
• Feb 22nd: collecting signatures at the Interfaith Immigration Prayer Vigil in Minneapolis
• Feb 25th: collecting signatures and speaking at Penumbra Theaters'play "Whipping Man"
• Feb 28th: giving a D'var at Temple of Aaron
• March 6th: hosting a discussion on Progress by Pesach at Indie Jews Shabbat
• March 7th: giving a D'var at Mayim Rabim and at Beth Jacob Congregation
• March 11th: Premier of "Welcome the Stranger" at the Minneapolis Film Festival
• March l3th: collecting signatures at Mount Zion Temple
• Marc 22nd: 7th Annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder at Mount Zion Temple

We are on Facebook

2009-02-04T14:44:00.003-06:00

Jewish Community Action's Progress by Pesach has a facebook group, become a member!

(www.facebook.com, under "Jewish Community Action's Progress by Pesach" under groups)

New report says that raids spun out of control

2009-02-04T11:59:00.006-06:00

In today's NYTimes:

"The raids on homes around the country were billed as carefully planned hunts for dangerous immigrant fugitives, and given catchy names like Operation Return to Sender.

"And they garnered bigger increases in money and staff from Congress than any other program run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even as complaints grew that teams of armed agents were entering homes indiscriminately.

"But in fact, beginning in 2006, the program was no longer what was being advertised. Federal immigration officials had repeatedly told Congress that among more than half a million immigrants with outstanding deportation orders, they would concentrate on rounding up the most threatening — criminals and terrorism suspects.

"Instead, newly available documents show, the agency changed the rules, and the program increasingly went after easier targets. A vast majority of those arrested had no criminal record, and many had no deportation orders against them, either."

To read the full article, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/04raids.html?hp

Please sign local and national petitions for immigration reform and an end to raids

2009-02-03T12:43:00.003-06:00

MAKE SURE TO SIGN BOTH PETITIONS. The national Progress by Pesach petition calls for humane, comprehensive, federal immigration reform. Jewish Community Action's petition calls for this, PLUS an immediate end to raids.

It only takes a minute to sign both!

Fact Sheet on Raids...

2009-01-30T14:23:00.005-06:00

Background:

Raids separate families, violate U.S. due process laws, hurt the economy, waste taxpayer money, misuse local police, and threaten the basic human rights of U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. The aftermath of a raid continues well after the operation is over, and towns are left to deal with the resulting humanitarian and economic crisis.

Obama and Congress have to power to change this by passing immigration reform, instead of relying on immigration raids to enforce a broken system. Additionally, Obama will only sign an executive order ending immigration raids if we make sure voices heard loudly along with the voices of immigrants and allies.

Facts: The Raids

In 2008, 5,100 were taken into custody during workplace raids compared to 685 in 2004.¹

Many raids involve violations of due process, including entering without a warrant, interrogation without reasonable suspicion of unlawful immigration status, and racial profiling.²

Many ICE raids have resulted in the interrogation and detention of U.S. citizens. According to a recent report by the DHS Inspector General, agents rely on data that is outdated an inaccurate in up to 50% of cases.

Facts: The Costs

In 2002, ICE’s budget was $2.4B, in 2008 it was $5B. That’s 80% more than the Environmental Protection Agency and $4B more than the Department of State. Failure to pass immigration reform has resulted in a bigger budget and a bigger problem.^3a

Although ICE has not disclosed the amount spent on all of its 2008 raids, $5.2 million was spent on the raid on Agriprocessors in Iowa. 389 workers were detained, making the cost $13,300 per detainee.^3b

It costs approximately $95 per person per night to keep a person in a detention center.

Facts: The Detention Centers

Over 300,000 people are held in immigration detention facilities each year. The annual cost to the government is nearly $2 billion.⁴

Approximately 67% of people detained in ICE raids are not held in Department of Homeland Security detention centers. Instead, they are detained in over 312 county and city prisons nationwide where DHS rents bed space. Detained immigrants are mixed in with incarcerated criminals. ⁵

Immigrants detained in raids can remain in detention centers for as long as three years.⁶During this time, detainees are held in severely overcrowded facilities, sometimes 50% over design capacity.

Between January 2004 and November 2007, 67 people died while in custody in detention facilities. No government body is required to keep track of deaths and publicly report them.⁷

Facts: The Communities and Families

Although ICE does allow for the release of some detainees for humanitarian reasons (including those who are sole caregivers or whose absence would cause undue hardship for the family), many undocumented immigrants are afraid to tell ICE agents that they have children. Children whose parents are detained and eventually deported, are sometimes put into the foster care system.⁸

5,000,000 U.S. citizens under the age of 18 have 1-2 undocumented parents.⁹

Small towns and local economies can be crippled by immigration raids. In towns such as Laurel, Mississippi and Postville, Iowa, sites of the two largest ICE raids in U.S. history, the loss of taxpayers, tenants, and workers at businesses have caused property values to plummet and general economic crisis. ¹⁰

For citations, email lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org

Progress by Pesach in JTA

2009-01-30T13:54:00.003-06:00

Check out the JTA article on Progress by Pesach: http://jta.org/news/article/2009/01/29/1002624/progress-by-pesach-on-immigration-reform

and in Religion News Service:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2009/01/jewish-coalition-calls-for-imm.php

2009-01-29T14:28:00.005-06:00

After you sign the letter to Obama at www.hias.org/progress, make sure to add this sentence:

"I am calling on President Obama to issue an excutive order ending raids immediately."

This will ensure the message to end raids gets heard in addition to calling for comprehensive, humane, federal immigration reform.

Thanks!

2009-01-29T14:25:00.001-06:00

We are Officially Launched!

2009-01-26T13:56:00.004-06:00

Did you know that President Obama's policy agenda is laid out on the White House website? It's an interesting read. For the full agenda, see whitehouse.gov/agenda

I've excerpted the immigration agenda, below. What do you think?

IMMIGRATION

"The time to fix our broken immigration system is now… We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace… But for reform to work, we also must respond to what pulls people to America… Where we can reunite families, we should. Where we can bring in more foreign-born workers with the skills our economy needs, we should."

-- Barack Obama, Statement on U.S. Senate Floor
May 23, 2007

For too long, politicians in Washington have exploited the immigration issue to divide the nation rather than find real solutions. Our broken immigration system can only be fixed by putting politics aside and offering a complete solution that secures our border, enforces our laws, and reaffirms our heritage as a nation of immigrants.

Create Secure Borders: Protect the integrity of our borders. Support additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Improve Our Immigration System: Fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally: Remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Bring People Out of the Shadows: Support a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

Work with Mexico: Promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.

Posted by Suzanne Bring

Progress by Pesach to Launch Nationally Jan. 29th, 2009!

2009-01-22T18:02:00.001-06:00

Stay tuned for updates on the campaign, info about what Jewish Community Action and our partners across the country are doing, and more.

This is an open blog moderated by Jewish Community Action. Please post articles you read, write or think would be helpful to others. Also, feel free to post information on resources and facts you find, suggested readings, viewings, etc.

To get involved with the campaign, host an event or workshop or tabling for signatures, contact:
email: Lauren Bastien lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org
Vic Rosenthal vic@jewishcommunityaction.org

Progress by Pesach: A Brief Intro to the Campaign

2009-01-22T17:59:00.002-06:00

Jewish Community Action’s

Progress by Pesach

The Jewish Call for Immigration Reform, Not Raids

Jewish Community Action and our partners across the country invite you to join us in our Progress by Pesach (Hebrew for Passover) campaign. Our goal is simple: an end to immigration raids by Passover.

For Jews, Passover is a time when we celebrate our freedom from bondage, remember when we were strangers in a strange land, and connect our history to modern-day liberation struggles. This is the inspiration behind the campaign name, Progress by Pesach.

Jewish Community Action is echoing the call from local and national immigrant-led and immigrant rights groups to end raids. We are speaking up as Jews, alongside immigrant communities. We know that we can only make change together.

This year, Passover coincides with the end of the Obama Administration’s First 100 Days. We call upon President-elect Obama to issue an executive order ending immigration raids immediately. Ending raids by Passover would demonstrate that real progress has been made toward the long-term goal of fair, humane, comprehensive federal immigration reform and is an important part of supporting immigrants and communities.

Jewish Community Action and our partners will help make this a priority for the Obama Administration by flooding his staff and our Congressional representatives with constituent requests for an end to raids via phone calls, petitions, letters and media.

Our partners include: Local/Regional groups: Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (Chicago), Jews United For Justice (D.C.), Progressive Jewish Alliance (L.A./San Francisco), Jews For Racial and Economic Justice (NY), Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern Arizona, National Groups: the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, National Council of Jewish Women, Union for Reform Judaism,

We will mobilize support by hosting educational programs and events, volunteer opportunities, and outreach within the Jewish community.

Want to help?

Attend or host a program or workshop at your congregation (we’ll help you!)
Participate in an evening or two of phone banking
Deliver a D’var at your shul
Help us collect petition signatures
Help with research and development of educational materials
Attend JCA’s Annual Immigrant Right’s Freedom Seder on March 22^nd
Follow our blog (www.progressbypesach.blogspot.com - contact lauren if you are interested in posting) and take action on local and national immigration policy (www.hias.org/progress)

For more information or to get involved: Vic Rosenthal (vic@jewishcommunityaction.org),

Lauren Bastien (lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org), 651.632.2184,

www.jewishcommunityaction.org, www.progressbypesach.blogspot.com, www.hias.org/progress

Q and A on Immigration

2009-01-22T17:54:00.001-06:00

Q. “As a Jew, why should I care about immigrants?”

A. Our history compels us to stand up for justice, whether it affects us directly or indirectly. Jewish Community Action has long stood by immigrant communities who—much like our own—come to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their families, oftentimes escaping violence, war, and crushing poverty. We are also commanded in the Torah to welcome and respect the strangers in our midst. Ending raids is good for everyone.

Q. “Are raids really that bad?”

A. Raids harm all of us and affect entire communities. They separate families and violate U.S. laws on due process and humane treatment of residents, whether they are citizens or non-citizens. Raids hurt the U.S. economy, waste tax-payer money, inappropriately use police and attempt to enforce a broken immigration system. This is a human rights issue, not a political one, and we all need to stand up for justice for immigrants. As an organization based in Jewish values, Jewish Community Action holds that raids violate the Torah’s mandate of just treatment of the “stranger who resides with [us].”

Q. “Who is conducting the raids and who can make them stop?”

A. The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). President-Elect Obama can make stop the raids immediately by issuing an executive order.

Q. “But what do we do about our broken immigration system?”

A. We need fair, humane, comprehensive federal immigration reform (CFIR) to protect the rights of all people. CFIR would provide a path to citizenship, emphasize family reunification, legalize future migration, protect human rights, ensure dignity and due process of law, and protect workers and employers. We cannot rely on enforcement only tactics like raids to fix our broken immigration system.

Q. “My Jewish grandparents waited their turn and came here legally, why can’t new immigrants do the same?”

A. Many of our ancestors came to this country when immigration laws were different, and at times they were excluded by U.S. immigration policy. Some of our ancestors also arrived without documents too. Until CFIR is passed, there is virtually no path to legal residency and citizenship available to the majority of new immigrants.

Q. “Why are there so many people coming here now from Mexico and Central and South America?”

A. U.S. trade policy, specifically the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, 1994) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA, 2005), has made it extremely difficult for many people to survive in their home countries. NAFTA and CAFTA have created greater wealth disparity, destroyed agriculture as a means for income, and reduced wages in all countries involved. Economically, U.S. trade policies have proven disastrous for our country’s neighbors to the south and have hurt the U.S. economy as well.

Q. “But wait, I don’t think that the Jewish community should be leading the call to end immigration raids, this directly affects immigrant communities, shouldn’t we let immigrants do this?

A. Jewish Community Action works as an ally with immigrant communities and organizations. The call to end immigration raids is being made by local and national immigrant-led and immigrant rights groups. We are speaking up as Jews, alongside immigrant communities. We know that we can only make change together.

Q. “Now I get it! How do I incorporate immigrants rights into my Pesach seder ?”

A. You can join Jewish Community Action at our 7^th annual Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder on March 22, 2009 and use our Immigrant Rights Freedom Seder inserts at your families’ Passover celebration in April (coming soon to the blog)

2008-12-19T23:17:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Progress by Pesach

2008-12-18T17:18:00.000-06:00