Thousands of New Yorkers Rally in Support of Immigrant Families

June 30th, 2018

New Yorkers Join Marchers Across the Country to #ProtectFamilies and Protest Trump’s Inhumane Immigration Policies

NEW YORK, NY – Today, thousands of people rallied and marched in support of immigrant families and to condemn the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policies. The Protect Families March and Rally, organized by dozens of advocacy groups, legal and immigrants’ rights organizations, trade unions, and concerned citizens, set off from Foley Square and marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to gather for a rally and speaking program in Cadman Plaza.

Last week, President Trump issued an executive order to end his own policy of separating families at the southern border, however he has not offered an effective plan to reunite loved ones. The continued incarceration of children – even with their parents – is both unlawful and traumatizing. Hundreds of migrant children have been relocated to New York facilities across the state, including in New York City. Amid the public outrage over the Trump administration’s inhuman immigration policies, the administration continues to pursue using immigrant children as pawns to gain support for building a border wall and limiting legal immigration – including asylum.

Advocates and community members leading the march and rally offered the following statements:

Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition said:

"By forcibly ripping families apart at the border, the Trump administration showed the world how morally bankrupt it truly is. The New York Immigration Coalition is proud to have worked with our members, partners and allies to organize tens of thousands of people rallying in New York and across the nation, making clear that the public has zero tolerance for Trump’s zero tolerance policy. We urge everyone to demand action from their elected officials to end family separation and incarceration. What is happening defies all moral decency, and we will not stand idly by."

Estela Vasquez, Executive Vice President, 1199SEIU said:

“The 450,000 healthcare workers of 1199SEIU are sickened by this administration’s inhumane and racist mistreatment of the immigrants who form the rich fabric of our nation. As an immigrant myself, like many in our union, my heart hurts when I think about the babies ripped from their parents arms at our border, the families separated by oceans because of the Islamophobic Muslim ban. Are we returning to the days of slavery and Japanese internment camps?”

Alison Hirsh, 32BJ SEIU Vice President & Political Director:

"Moving kids from kennels to jails, with their parents, is not a real solution to this problem," Alison Hirsh, 32BJ SEIU Vice President & Political Director, said. “I have two toddlers. But because of the color of my skin and the happenstance is my birth, I don’t fear that they will be taken from me, or me from them. Too many members of our community don’t have that privilege.”

Shannon Stagman, organizer and leader with Empire State Indivisible said:

“We stand in solidarity with New York’s immigrant communities, and pledge to do everything in our power to fight the Trump administration’s racist agenda. In the Indivisible movement, we believe in communicating directly with our elected officials and holding them accountable for representing us. Our representative is the minority leader of the Senate, and he has enormous power to lead a strong opposition - if he chooses to. We call on Senator Schumer to lead with moral clarity and unwavering conviction that immigrant families must be protected.”

Perla Lopez, Youth Organizer at Make the Road New York said:

"It is heartbreaking to see children being separated from their families. I know first hand how traumatic it feels to be separated from your mother; at age 10, I did not know when would be the next time I will be reunited with my family. These detention facilities are no place for children or for families. We must work together to make sure that all immigrants are safe and free and put an end to the xenophobic and racist policies that are being led by this administration."

Carola Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link said:

“Using children as pawns to achieve a policy win is unconscionable and the change in policy to keep families together but still incarcerated is not acceptable. We need our elected leaders to lead and forge a measured and reasoned path toward creating holistic and humane immigration policy that is in keeping with American values.”

Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union said:

“The Trump regime is doing everything it can to divide immigrant families and drive them away. The current crisis will not end until every child that has been separated is reunited with their parents, every family is treated with dignity and due process, and our immigration policies reflect our values. New Yorkers will continue hitting the streets, the phones and the ballot boxes to make our message heard: families belong together.”

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Co-sponsors of the Protect Families March and Rally include:

1199SEIU

32BJ SEIU

ACLU

Action Group Network

Adventists for Social Justice

African Communities Together

Amnesty International USA

Arab American Association of New York

Asian American Federation

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

Atlas DIY

Bangladeshi Feminist Collective

Beit Simchat Torah

Black Alliance for Just Immigration

Broadway Democrats

Brooklyn For Peace

Buddhist Action Coalition

CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities

CAIR-NY

Callen Lorde Community Health Center

Caring for Us Indivisible

Children's Defense Fund-New York

Children’s Rights, Inc.

Chinese-American Planning Council

Chinese Progressive Association

Cidadão Global

Citizens Union of the City of New York

Common Cause/NY

Community Free Democrats

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah

DC37

Direct Action Everywhere NYC

DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving

Empire State Indivisible

Faith In New York

Fast Food Justice

FPWA

Freedom Socialist Party

FWD.us

GAPIMNY— Empowering Queer & Trans Asian Pacific Islanders

Global Citizen

Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition

Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network

Human Rights Campaign

Human Rights First

IfNotNow

Immigrant Defense Project

Indivisible Nation BK

Indivisible Upper East Side

Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement

Japanese American Citizens League

Jews For Racial & Economic Justice

Jews Say No!

Judson Memorial Church

Lawyers For Children

LSA Family Health Service

Make the Road NY

March For Our Lives NYC

March for Truth

MinKwon Center of Community Action

National Writers Union / UAW Local 1981

Neighbors link

New Immigrant Community Empowerment

The New Sanctuary Coalition

New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc.

New York Communities For Change

New York Civil Liberties Union

New York Immigration Coalition

New York Society For Ethical Culture

NICE

OCA-NY

One Spirit Learning Alliance

PARCEO

People's Climate Movement NY

Progressive Doctors

Queens Community House

Refuse Fascism NYC

Revolting Lesbians

Rise and Resist NYC

RUSA LGBT

Safe Horizon

Sanctuary for Families

Sister District Project

South Asian Fund for Education, Scholarship, and Training

The Shul of New York

Trinity Wall Street Church

UAW Local 2110, Technical, Office and Professional Union

United Neighborhood Houses

Upper West Side MoveOn/Indivisible Action Group

Veterans For Peace - NYC Chapter 034

WE ACT for Environmental Justice

The Workmen's Circle

YMCA of Greater New York

Young Invincibles

Young Progressives of America