In response to the death of a seven-year-old child in the custody of the U.S. Government, Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, released the following statement on November 1, 2018. More children have died in the custody of the U.S. Government since then, and we mourn for and with our immigrant community.
“Time and time again, we have spoken out against the cruel and shameful treatment that immigrants to America have endured at the hands of our government. The death of this young girl — a horrific tragedy — should shake us all to our core.
“The Trump Administration’s immigration policies — and the culture of inhumane treatment by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement that it condones — is literally killing children. This must stop.
“It is time for this call to be met with action. Our elected officials have decisions to make. We must honor this child’s memory — and others who have died in custody like Roxsana Hernandez Rodriguez — by blocking any extra funding for ICE, CBP or the wall, which does nothing but symbolize the Administration’s white nationalism and fear-mongering. As Jews, we know too well where these policies of exclusion and hate lead. As Americans, this must not be America’s legacy.”