An open letter to Prairie UU Church from Love Resists

Dear Prairie UU Church,

Over the weekend, news broke that the Homestead Child Detention Center was emptied of all migrant children. This was quickly followed by tragic news of a racially-motivated mass shooting in El Paso and last night’s massive workplace raid in Mississippi (the single largest statewide ICE raid in over a decade). We know that we cannot separate the detention and deportation of migrants from this administration’s white nationalist agenda and the violent white supremacist culture that it legitimizes.

In the past month, more than 2,700 migrant children have been reunited with family or moved into smaller shelter environments. Not only that: attempts to open additional child detention facilities in Fort Sill, OK and Carrizo Springs, TX were also thwarted by communities organizing against them. We are building power toward ending all detention and deportation and for dismantling white supremacy and it’s criminalization of migrants, people of color, black organizers, climate activists, transgender folx and others.

Those of us who joined organizing to “Shut Down Homestead” know that the administration was under tremendous pressure to stop warehousing children in detention, especially since many had families to receive them. We celebrate this victory – and we know the work isn’t done.

While some children are sleeping in relative safety today, we know that whole communities remain under threat by this deeply racist and xenophobic Administration. There are many ways you can take action to demonstrate resistance to this terror.

View our joint webinar with Side With Love, American Friends Service Committee, and Detention Watch Network to learn about next steps after #ClosetheCamps and #LightsForLiberty actionsaround the country.

Check out the CLOSE THE CAMPS! campaign, where you can locate a Detention Camp near you, start an Action, and close the Camp.

Join UUSC’s In-District Lobby Days from August 19-30 and tell your Members of Congress to defund ICE and immigration detention.

Sign Detention Watch Networks’ petition in solidarity with hunger strikers in ICE detention and read more from Freedom for Immigrants about the ways people in immigration detention are organizing inside.

Join us for a webinar on Democracy & Electoral Justice 2020 on Wednesday, August 14th, 7 pm ET/4 pm PT. We will explore strategies and share resources starting now through Elections 2020. Register now.

Each day is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to expanded sanctuary and authentic welcome in our communities. Connect with your local immigrant rights organization to see how you can provide support. Get your family, congregation and community involved so that we may all be the sanctuary we seek.

In faith,

The Love Resists team

Love Resists is a joint campaign by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.