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For Immediate Release
June, 28 2018, 12:00am EDT
Contact:
Jeff Hoagland (Primary) Phone: (202) 745-4635 Email: jhoagland@sojo.net, Jim Simpson (Secondary) Phone: (202) 275-4609 Email: jsimpson@sojo.net
Sojourners to Hold Vigil to Protest Indefinite Detention of Immigrant Families
On Friday, June 29th from 8:30-9:30pm Sojourners and other faith partners will hold an interfaith candlelight vigil on the lawn of the Capitol Building to protest the Trump Administration's policy of indefinite detention of families.
Over the past few weeks, the news has been dominated with the images of children who have been heartlessly torn from their parents. The cruel separation was a direct consequence of the administration's zero tolerance policy at the border.
WASHINGTON
On Friday, June 29th from 8:30-9:30pm Sojourners and other faith partners will hold an interfaith candlelight vigil on the lawn of the Capitol Building to protest the Trump Administration's policy of indefinite detention of families.
Over the past few weeks, the news has been dominated with the images of children who have been heartlessly torn from their parents. The cruel separation was a direct consequence of the administration's zero tolerance policy at the border.
The crisis on our border is morally indefensible. Contrary to the false claims of this administration, their brutal zero-tolerance policies are not "biblical law enforcement" -- they stand in direct opposition to the teachings of multiple faith traditions. This problem is far from solved and for thousands of children cruelly separated from their parents the crisis is ongoing.
Merely ending the policy of separating families at the border is not enough. We are witnessing a massive humanitarian and moral crisis of the President's own making. He can stop it at any time. Our demand is clear and not negotiable: Trump's policies of jailing families indefinitely must be stopped immediately. If the Administration refuses to act, we call on Congress to pass a law to welcome the stranger and protect the immigrant among us. Now is also the time to end the zero-tolerance policy and lift-up the need for comprehensive, compassionate, and just immigration reform. This is not a political choice; it is a moral choice. Expected crowd 500+
What: Interfaith vigil to protest indefinite detention of families and separation policies
When: June 29th, 8:30-9:30pm
Where: Capitol Reflecting Pool
Who: Shane Claiborne, Founder, the Simple Way; Bishop Jose Garcia, Senior Advisor for Prayer and Strategic Initiatives, Bread for the World; Marie Dennis, Co-President, Pax Christi International; Priscilla Martinez, Holistic Families Circle Founder, All Dulles Area Muslim Society; Jess Morales Rocketto, Political Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Dr. Barbara Williams Skinner, President, Skinner Leadership Institute; Dr. Rajwant Singh, Founder and Chairman, Sikh Council on Religion and Education; Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director of Refugee and Immigration Ministries, Disciples Home Missions; Talib M. Shareef, President and Imam, The Nation's Mosque, Masjid Muhammed; Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, Senior Advisor and Former National Director of Interfaith and Community Alliances, Islamic Society of North America; Rev. Adam Taylor, Executive Director, Sojourners; Rev. Jim Wallis, Founder and President, Sojourners; Lisa Rodriguez Watson, Leadership Development and Training Director, Christian Community Development Association; Barbara Weinstein, Associate Director, Religious Action Center;
Visuals: Clergy from multiple faith traditions, standing on a stage, reading prayers for immigrants on the lawn of the Capitol Building. Expected crowd size 500+
Read "Suffer the Little Children," the statement from the Reclaiming Jesus Elders on our current moral crisis here: https://www.reclaimingjesus.org/sites/default/files/downloads/reclaimingjesus.family.pdf
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