Rev. William Barber and other faith leaders marched to an El Paso, Texas detention center Monday to condemn the Trump administration's treatment of immigrants. (Photo: Rev. William Barber/Twitter)
Jul 29, 2019
Rev. William Barber and other faith leaders marched on an El Paso, Texas detention center Monday to protest President Donald Trump's inhumane treatment of immigrants and demand congressional action to end the administration's abusive practices.
"We have Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Red Letter Christians, Unitarian, and people not of faith but who believe in a moral universe coming together at the border today, not for our own agendas but for the immigrant children and families who are facing injustice," Barber, national co-co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, said ahead of the march.
"We are here in unity with local leaders who invited us," said Barber. "We have seen just a glimpse of the horrible conditions our immigrant neighbors are facing at the border."
\u201c. @RevDrBarber speaks at #MoralMonday demonstration in El Paso\u201d— Daniel Borunda (@Daniel Borunda) 1564421879
When the group of "Moral Monday" demonstrators arrived at the entrance of the El Paso facility, Barber, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, and Imam Omar Suleiman demanded to be allowed inside to meet with hunger-striking detainees.
"We are requesting a pastoral visit, to visit our members of the human family who are on hunger strike," Barber said. "We are asking to be let in to see them. We are their pastors. We are clergy leaders, they are our members."
\u201c#MoralMonday Demonstration now blocking Mattox St entrance to ICE, Border Patrol facility in El Paso\u201d— Daniel Borunda (@Daniel Borunda) 1564422261
According to the Associated Press, three Indian nationals seeking asylum in the United States were forcibly hydrated in an El Paso, Texas detention facility as they entered their third week of hunger-striking.
"ICE confirmed that there were detainee hunger strikes at its facilities in El Paso and Otero, New Mexico, late last week," AP reported, "but it would not comment on the claims of forced hydration or force-feeding."
The faith leaders were ultimately not permitted to enter the facility, which Barber said closed its gates as marchers approached.
"Whatever the pain is, the lack of healthcare, the lack of living wages, people being locked in cages...all those streams are coming together and forming a mighty rushing river of justice," the demonstrators said in a group prayer led by Barber. "We condemn the modern-day slavery, we cast down the injustice."
"We condemn and call evil and unjust the caging of people, the making people drink from toilets, the refusal to even give them a toothbrush," the group continued. "You're holding angels in this place. But you will not hold them forever. We join them now, and not only do we bring condemnation, but we bring hope. It doesn't have to be this way. America, turn around. America, repent. America, stop. America, change your ways."
Watch the demonstration:
\u201cLIVE: @RevDrBarber holding #MoralMonday protest in El Paso https://t.co/2AKkl0TQbL\u201d— MoveOn (@MoveOn) 1564419972
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Rev. William Barber and other faith leaders marched on an El Paso, Texas detention center Monday to protest President Donald Trump's inhumane treatment of immigrants and demand congressional action to end the administration's abusive practices.
"We have Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Red Letter Christians, Unitarian, and people not of faith but who believe in a moral universe coming together at the border today, not for our own agendas but for the immigrant children and families who are facing injustice," Barber, national co-co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, said ahead of the march.
"We are here in unity with local leaders who invited us," said Barber. "We have seen just a glimpse of the horrible conditions our immigrant neighbors are facing at the border."
\u201c. @RevDrBarber speaks at #MoralMonday demonstration in El Paso\u201d— Daniel Borunda (@Daniel Borunda) 1564421879
When the group of "Moral Monday" demonstrators arrived at the entrance of the El Paso facility, Barber, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, and Imam Omar Suleiman demanded to be allowed inside to meet with hunger-striking detainees.
"We are requesting a pastoral visit, to visit our members of the human family who are on hunger strike," Barber said. "We are asking to be let in to see them. We are their pastors. We are clergy leaders, they are our members."
\u201c#MoralMonday Demonstration now blocking Mattox St entrance to ICE, Border Patrol facility in El Paso\u201d— Daniel Borunda (@Daniel Borunda) 1564422261
According to the Associated Press, three Indian nationals seeking asylum in the United States were forcibly hydrated in an El Paso, Texas detention facility as they entered their third week of hunger-striking.
"ICE confirmed that there were detainee hunger strikes at its facilities in El Paso and Otero, New Mexico, late last week," AP reported, "but it would not comment on the claims of forced hydration or force-feeding."
The faith leaders were ultimately not permitted to enter the facility, which Barber said closed its gates as marchers approached.
"Whatever the pain is, the lack of healthcare, the lack of living wages, people being locked in cages...all those streams are coming together and forming a mighty rushing river of justice," the demonstrators said in a group prayer led by Barber. "We condemn the modern-day slavery, we cast down the injustice."
"We condemn and call evil and unjust the caging of people, the making people drink from toilets, the refusal to even give them a toothbrush," the group continued. "You're holding angels in this place. But you will not hold them forever. We join them now, and not only do we bring condemnation, but we bring hope. It doesn't have to be this way. America, turn around. America, repent. America, stop. America, change your ways."
Watch the demonstration:
\u201cLIVE: @RevDrBarber holding #MoralMonday protest in El Paso https://t.co/2AKkl0TQbL\u201d— MoveOn (@MoveOn) 1564419972
Rev. William Barber and other faith leaders marched on an El Paso, Texas detention center Monday to protest President Donald Trump's inhumane treatment of immigrants and demand congressional action to end the administration's abusive practices.
"We have Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Red Letter Christians, Unitarian, and people not of faith but who believe in a moral universe coming together at the border today, not for our own agendas but for the immigrant children and families who are facing injustice," Barber, national co-co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, said ahead of the march.
"We are here in unity with local leaders who invited us," said Barber. "We have seen just a glimpse of the horrible conditions our immigrant neighbors are facing at the border."
\u201c. @RevDrBarber speaks at #MoralMonday demonstration in El Paso\u201d— Daniel Borunda (@Daniel Borunda) 1564421879
When the group of "Moral Monday" demonstrators arrived at the entrance of the El Paso facility, Barber, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, and Imam Omar Suleiman demanded to be allowed inside to meet with hunger-striking detainees.
"We are requesting a pastoral visit, to visit our members of the human family who are on hunger strike," Barber said. "We are asking to be let in to see them. We are their pastors. We are clergy leaders, they are our members."
\u201c#MoralMonday Demonstration now blocking Mattox St entrance to ICE, Border Patrol facility in El Paso\u201d— Daniel Borunda (@Daniel Borunda) 1564422261
According to the Associated Press, three Indian nationals seeking asylum in the United States were forcibly hydrated in an El Paso, Texas detention facility as they entered their third week of hunger-striking.
"ICE confirmed that there were detainee hunger strikes at its facilities in El Paso and Otero, New Mexico, late last week," AP reported, "but it would not comment on the claims of forced hydration or force-feeding."
The faith leaders were ultimately not permitted to enter the facility, which Barber said closed its gates as marchers approached.
"Whatever the pain is, the lack of healthcare, the lack of living wages, people being locked in cages...all those streams are coming together and forming a mighty rushing river of justice," the demonstrators said in a group prayer led by Barber. "We condemn the modern-day slavery, we cast down the injustice."
"We condemn and call evil and unjust the caging of people, the making people drink from toilets, the refusal to even give them a toothbrush," the group continued. "You're holding angels in this place. But you will not hold them forever. We join them now, and not only do we bring condemnation, but we bring hope. It doesn't have to be this way. America, turn around. America, repent. America, stop. America, change your ways."
Watch the demonstration:
\u201cLIVE: @RevDrBarber holding #MoralMonday protest in El Paso https://t.co/2AKkl0TQbL\u201d— MoveOn (@MoveOn) 1564419972
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.