On Monday, The New York Times editorial board forcefully condemned Trump’s “divisive, incoherent, and barbaric” immigration policies that have created “a crisis of American values, a crisis of America’s premier tradition as a welcoming and humane haven.” They point out that
. . . Mr. Trump has only made agreeing on an approach to immigration in the United States far more difficult. He has done so by systematically creating a false narrative of immigrants as job-stealing criminals, by insisting that there is a crisis of illegal immigration where there is none and, most maliciously, by dreaming up schemes to torment these people in the perverse notion that this would deter others from trying to reach the United States.
The most appalling of these has been the separation of children from their parents and detaining them in conditions no child anywhere should suffer, and certainly not children in the care of the American government.
“There’s No Excuse for Mistreating Children at the Border. Here’s What To Do About It.”
Their detailed list of suggestions for how we can help includes calling our representatives, donating to humanitarian efforts, sharing a “know your rights” page and video for encounters with ICE, and participating in various local actions.
The editorial board also featured a planned nationwide vigil, Lights for Liberty, that has now generated substantial interest worldwide as well. Here’s the plan:
On Friday July 12th, 2019, Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps, will bring thousands of Americans to detention camps across the country, into the streets and into their own front yards, to protest the inhumane conditions faced by refugees.
video link
Lights for Liberty will organize 5 main events in the following cities:
- El Paso, Texas
- Homestead, Florida
- San Diego, California
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
The general plan is to host events between 7:00pm-10:00pm local time. At 9:00pm local time, they’re requesting that participants hold a candle and share a moment of silence.
Please click through to the Lights for Liberty website to find a list of local events as well as instructions for creating your own local event.
Lights for Liberty seeks to create this event in solidarity and allyship with communities most impacted by the abuse of our immigration system. We seek to work in solidarity with grassroots organizations both new and historic, those who are well-funded and on shoe-string budgets. We are moved to mobilize with anyone: moms, dads, and people of moral conscience who cannot stand to see families and communities destroyed. Simply put, our country is at a tipping point.
Their tags: #Lights4Liberty, #DontLookAway, and #endUSconcentrationcamps
Let’s help organize events and spread the word.