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October 19, 2015
Week of Action to End Family Detention
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Disciples Women, Hispanic Ministries, and other faith leaders & advocates have worked throughout this year to CLOSE FAMILY DETENTION CENTERS. THIS WEEK, ACT TO END FAMILY DETENTION NOW!
 JOIN A LOCAL ACTION TO END FAMILY DETENTION, OCT. 18-25:
- See the Facebook event page for the National Week of Action here.
- See details at above link for events TUES. in Dallas, WED. in Minneapolis, THURS. in D.C. (see info. at right) and San Antonio, and FRI. in NY and Memphis! Email [email protected] for more on Cleveland's event, & [email protected] for Nashville info.
 DISCIPLES AROUND THE U.S. are urged to use the image at left, designed by our own Disciples pastor Hector Hernandez
of Indianapolis, to make signs to carry, post, and share to support your advocacy for Moms and Kids in detention!
SEE THE "EXTENDED ACTION ALERT" BELOW TO CONTACT THE ADMINISTRATION BEFORE OCT 23RD:
Ask them to NOT appeal Judge Gee's ruling for them to CLOSE the three family detention centers in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas, and in Berks County, PA.!! THIS IS THE WEEK to be sure your voice is heard loud and clear!!
SUPPORT TEXAS LOCAL ADVOCATES IN THEIR EFFORTS TO CLOSE THE DILLEY AND KARNES CITY FAMILY DETENTION CENTERS: The state of Texas is considering licensing family detention centers as childcare facilities. But people are already fighting back. More than 140 organizations and individuals this week sent a letter to Texas state officials urging them to deny child care licenses to private prison companies operating family detention camps in South Texas. Can you send your own message to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Department of Family & Protective Services Commissioner John Specia? Sign the petition against licensing family detention camps right now here.
HELP CLOSE THE BERKS FAMILY DETENTION CENTER IN PENNSYLVANIA: Link with PA. area advocates to support their efforts to ensure the state human services system does NOT grant a license for the operation of the Berks County Family Center, which holds Central American moms and kids in family detention. Sign here.
 PRAY FOR, AND HELP, CHILDREN AND PARENTS NEEDING LEGAL ASSISTANCE!: The child at left has been born into our "Disciples family," and worships each Sunday with the Ebenezer Christian Church in Los Fresnos, Texas - where her Mom and grandmother live and are helped daily by Pastor Feliberto. The baby's mom and grandmother were born in Guatemala, and were repeatedly trafficked and abused. The baby is the result of a rape by a masked man. As the women escaped, they were again abused once reaching McCallen. They currently need $7,000 each for legal fees to process their asylum cases. Contact Sharon at [email protected] for more information about how to help. Extended Action Alert
   
Dear Disciples Friends,
October 17, 2015
EXTENDED ACTION ALERT: KEEP CALLING & E-MAILING BEFORE OCTOBER 23RD TO END FAMILY DETENTION! As you may recall from our recent alerts, Judge Dolly Gee stated that the U.S. use of family detention centers is a violation of the previous "Flores Settlement" from 1997. The judge called for the parents and children to be released from the family centers now being used in Dilley, Karnes, and Berks to house the mothers and children who have fled horrific violence in the Northern Triangle Region of Central America--(unless they can be shown to be a flight risk or threat to national security). In September, the Judge gave the Obama Administration UNTIL OCTOBER 23rd to appeal this decision-or CLOSE THE DETENTION CENTERS! The Administration has indicated they want to appeal-SO NOW IS THE TIME TO LET THEM HEAR YOU WANT THEM TO CHANGE THEIR DESIRE TO APPEAL BEFORE OCTOBER 23RD!! Disciples have done SO MUCH to raise your voices and gather your actions in faith to support the mothers and children throughout the past year! We remember again Dr. Watkins' expression of compassion and prophetic call to action in a press release in late summer: Family detention exacerbates the trauma families have already experienced, profits prison companies, isolates legitimate asylum seekers from services, and constrains hope that liberty might ever be found. Judge Gee's order instructs the administration to develop a plan to release the mothers and children 'without unnecessary delay.' I strongly urge the administration not to appeal Judge Gee's decision." PLEASE, will you take the opportunity to contact the Administration BEFORE OCTOBER 23RD? - Call the White House at 202-456-1111. Feel free to use this sample script: My name is _____ and I'm calling to express my disappointment that the Obama Administration has indicated they wish to appeal Judge Gee's decision which said that the family detention centers should be closed. Instead, we urge the Administration to re-consider, and instead support the Flores agreement, and agree to close the Dilley, Karnes and Berks family detention centers. There is simply no humane way to incarcerate families. The revival of family detention is a failed policy, and an appalling stain on the United States' human rights record. I urge the Administration to tell Judge Gee NOW that they do NOT want to appeal her decision, but instead will release women and children immediately, and close all family detention centers once and for all.
- Email the White House with the same message as above through their website. Go to: and type in the script as above.
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 Send an email to Attorney General Lynch, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and President Obama, White House, together with many of our faith partners. All you have to do is sign on! Go to.
LET'S GET TO THE FINISH LINE ON FAMILY DETENTION!!
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Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea
Director of Refugee & Immigration Ministries
Disciples Home Missions
Five Thomas Circle, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005-4153 (202) 957-7826 (Cell)
Refugee & Immigration Ministries is a ministry of Disciples Home Missions in Partnership with the Christian Church Capital Area and the Disciples Center for Public Witness
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