I was at Delaney Hall three times last week, including the faith leader vigil and the protest where Senator Andy Kim was peppersprayed.
I want to share what I saw, some important wins, and why reaching out to our members of Congress about ICE funding is critical this week.
What I saw
I went to Delaney Hall in solidarity with the hunger and labor strikers, everyone in detention there, their families, neighbors, faith leaders, politicians and more.
We protested to hold up the humanity of the people inside and make them feel less alone. They stood up in the windows and flashed the lights inside to tell us they could hear our singing, chanting, and drumming. Their humanity and bravery gives me strength.
I went again in response to a Signal message that they needed clergy who understood principles of nonviolence and could provide protection for the protests.
It was very scary when ICE got aggressive. I held my hands up with other clergy. As a rabbi, I thought, “This is what God calls me to do.”
Important wins
Because of the ongoing work by people inside and outside Delaney Hall:
- Over 1,000 people are on hunger strike across the nation, amplifying the inhumane conditions and demands of people in detention centers.
- Over the last few days at Delaney Hall, some vulnerable categories of people and individuals we have long fought for have been released. Pregnant people are no longer at Delaney Hall. The high school senior set to miss their graduation was released. Federal representatives have opened cases for people in dire circumstances.
- The state of New Jersey and the City of Newark filed lawsuits, and Governor Sherrill announced her commitment to more than doubling the funding for immigration legal defense and setting up a rapid response pro bono network.
The NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice writes, “This is nowhere near the end. But victories can build momentum and we want other folks to know that people power is real and it works. We are not done in Jersey until Delaney Hall and Elizabeth Detention Centers are empty, closed, and no other facilities like them are ever allowed back in this state.”
How we block funding for ICE
In the Amidah, one of the most central prayers in the Jewish tradition, we praise God for releasing the captives. That’s a prayer we say three times a day. If we can praise God for being the one who redeems the captives, that's what we should do too.
Each of us has a role to play. Some of us will volunteer, donate, protest. What’s important is that each of us do something to help reunite families and make our communities safe.
Right now, it’s especially important that our local and state politicians hear from us. The elected officials I saw at Delaney Hall were there on behalf of, not just the people inside, but the constituents who wanted them to be there.
This week, our Representatives in the House will vote on the ICE funding bill Republicans passed in the Senate last week. If the bill is going to be defeated, it has to happen now.
Email your Representative: We should not be sending one more dime to ICE.
The safety of my family is bound up in every other family being safe. I feel that as a parent, a rabbi, a Jew.
This is our duty as a Jewish community today: to stand arm-in-arm with all our neighbors. When we fight together, we fight for a world where all of us are safe — Jews, immigrants, and all people who live under the threat of authoritarianism.
How do we start? Look around you and ask, “Who can I be standing with in this moment?” Then do it.
In solidarity,
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster
