Car And Bike Caravan Demands Cuomo Release ICE Detainees During Covid-19 Pandemic, Plus Reduce Jail And Prison Populations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 24, 2020
Contact: Andy Ratto (678) 561–7248, info@closethecampsnyc.com
Close the Camps NYC Leads Car and Bike Caravan in Protest of ICE’s Unsafe Detainment Practices — Group Demands Cuomo #FreeThemAll
New York, New York, April 24, 2020 — A coalition of immigration activists surrounded Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York City office Friday afternoon to demand he release ICE detainees in the state. Hundreds of protesters will circle Cuomo’s office in a car and bike caravan, many honking horns, displaying banners, and chanting anti-ICE slogans. The protest emerged in the wake of New York’s shelter in place order and as a reaction to the unsafe conditions immigrants in detention and prisoners face as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Immigrant justice activists assert that Governor Cuomo can use his emergency powers during this public health crisis to release ICE detainees within state facilities without notifying ICE. He can also put pressure on ICE to free detainees in his state in the name of public health. Activists point out that he has remained silent on the issue. Protestors also called on Cuomo to release prisoners in solidarity with anti-mass incarceration movements.
In addition, Gov. Cuomo has publicly refused to provide emergency relief for the undocumented community that is suffering from COVID-19 and the economic shutdown.
“Governor Cuomo, we are demanding that you do everything in your power to free all ICE detainees in New York State. People in detention do not have access to adequate medical or sanitary facilities,” said Teresa Shen, an organizer with Cosecha NYC. “If you continue to do nothing, blood will be on your hands. You must act before ICE detention centers become death camps in this COVID-19 pandemic.”
From Gov. Cuomo’s office, the protest caravan will move on to two additional undisclosed locations.
“It is imperative that the Governor do everything in his power to free our undocumented neighbors from detention, as well as reducing the state prison population. Prisoners, whether they are held by ICE or the Department of Corrections, do not have the ability to social distance. Some of the locations worst hit by the pandemic in the country are jails and immigration detention centers.” added Josh Bloom, an organizer with Close the Camps NYC. “Do their lives matter less because of their immigration status or criminal record? They are human beings and deserve dignity and due process, not being abandoned to die in a cage. The Governor likes to talk about ‘New York tough’. Well, the real ‘New York tough’ is sticking up for one another.”
Protestors will wear masks and maintain six feet distance from each other in accordance with CDC guidelines. Organizers provided caravan participants with additional safety guidelines and safety supplies before the protest to minimize COVID-19 risks.
“We will continue to hold Governor Cuomo accountable until he takes steps to free all of our neighbors being held in immigration detention facilities. We will keep showing up, calling, emailing, and pressuring the Governor until he does the right thing,” said Andy Ratto, an organizer with Close the Camps NYC.
The coalition of activists was led by Close the Camps NYC and joined by groups Movimiento Cosecha, New Sanctuary Coalition, Brandworkers, DSA Immigrant Justice Working Group, Jewish Voice For Peace, Rise and Resist, Critical Mass and other allies.
Close the Camps is also asking everyone who can to commit to two additional campaigns. First, Cosecha is collecting donated $1,200 federal bailout checks in order to pass the funds to undocumented families, who were not included in the stimulus package and do not qualify for unemployment insurance. Additionally, Never Again Action NYC, with JFREJ, New Sanctuary Coalition, and Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, are raising money for the Let My People Go bailout, acting now to bond out ICE detainees one-by-one until they are all released.
All photos free for media use. You may credit Close the Camps NYC.
Follow actions by Close the Camps NYC — and our allies nationwide — by using #FreeThemALL, #NoBusinessWithICE, #DignityNotDetention, #ShutDownICE, #AbolishICE and #CloseTheCampsNYC in social media.
About Close the Camps Close the Camps NYC is an action coalition of groups and organizers working to close concentration camps in the United States and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to demilitarize immigration processes. Three other social and environmental justice groups sponsor Close the Camps NYC and its nonviolent direct action tactics: Cosecha; Extinction Rebellion; and Earth Strike NYC.
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#FreeThemAll #NoBusinessWithICE, #DignityNotDetention, #ShutDownICE, #AbolishICE, #CloseTheCampsNYC, and #CloseTheCamps on social media.
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