December 9, 2024

Dear President Biden:

As 38 organizations that represent millions of American Jews across the country who are deeply committed to justice, equity, and collective safety, we urge you to take measures to protect communities who are at risk before the end of your Administration. We urge you to exercise your considerable power to make our country a safer place, where each person can flourish. In particular, we urge you to protect immigrants, protect transgender people, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, and generously exercise your clemency authority.

Protect Immigrants
Immigration is a deeply personal issue for millions of American Jews. Many of our families have stories of migration to America that inspire us to work for immigrant justice. We know that true safety is only possible when we are collectively safe. We therefore urge you to:

• Ensure those who currently have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) can extend their status and prioritize the release from custody of all parole- and TPS-eligible individuals. Redesignate TPS for currently designated countries and issue new designations for other countries that merit protection.
• Expedite the processing of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and TPS renewal applications.

Protect Transgender People
Judaism teaches that each life is a whole universe, and too many universes have been destroyed by anti-transgender laws and policies. Transgender people are vital members of our community and our country and deserve to be able to live their lives with safety. We urge you to:

• Declassify testosterone as a controlled substance for gender-affirming care.
• Expedite applications for passports and passport cards so that transgender individuals can update their documentation before a new Administration changes the rules.

Prohibit Discrimination on the Basis of Sex
American Jews overwhelmingly support equality for every person, regardless of sex, and the right of every person to make their own healthcare decisions. By explicitly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, the Equal Rights Amendment would not only provide protections to women and LGBTQ+ people but could also reinforce abortion access. The ERA has progressed through the ratification process, meeting the required number of 38 states for ratification. We therefore urge you to:

• Direct the National Archivist to publish the ERA in the Constitution.

Grant Clemency
As Jews, we believe that no one should be defined by the worst thing they have ever done and teshuva (repentance) is a core Jewish value. We also know that the criminal legal system disproportionately impacts Black, brown, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and perpetuates racial inequities rooted in slavery and discrimination. We therefore urge you to:

• Commute all death sentences.
• Generously exercise your clemency authority to bring people home to their families and communities.

We are fighting for an American society where all are safe and thriving, no matter what we look like or where we come from. We urge you to take the above actions before the end of your Administration to bring greater safety to so many members of both our Jewish and broader American community.

Sincerely,

ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
Arizona Jews for Justice
Avodah
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Long Island
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Champaign-Urbana
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Maryland
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Memphis
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Ohio
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Pittsburgh
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action-Riverdale
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action South Jersey
Colorado Jews for Justice
Eshel
Footsteps
HIAS
ikar
Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW
Jewish Community Action
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)
J Street
Kesher Pittsburgh
Keshet
Kirva
National Council of Jewish Women
New York Jewish Agenda
Repair the World
Society for Humanistic Judaism
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
The Shalom Center
The Workers Circle
Union for Reform Judaism
Uri L'Tzedek
Women of Reform Judaism