Dear Church Family,

Below is an announcement of a meeting taking place on Wednesday, June 20th at 7:00 PM in the Thetford Hill Church on the separation of immigrant children from their parents.

The United Church of Strafford Mission Committee thanks you for attending if you can!

Are you concerned about immigrant children who are being forcibly separated from their parents at the border and incarcerated by federal ICE agents?

 Please come to a COMMUNITY FORUM

Wednesday June 20, 2018 Thetford Hill Congregational Church 7-9 pm

 Welcome:    Rev. Robin Junker-Boyce, Pastor of First Congregational Church, and Sherry Merrick, Thetford peace activist and event organizer

Moderator:  Annelise Orleck, Thetford resident and Dartmouth history professor

PRESENTATIONS

• Update from U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy’s office by Susan Sussman, caseworker for Sen. Leahy who specializes in immigration issues. She will discuss the Justice Department decision to separate thousands of immigrant children from their parents at the border and incarcerate them. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal government is now holding over 11,000 immigrant children. Even families who legally request asylum face losing their children.
• VT Congressman Peter Welch will video call us from Washington, DC, to discuss his findings during a tour of the Texas/Mexico border this week, including detention facilities where immigrant children are being held.
• Ray Chin, PhD, Child and Family Clinical Psychologist will discuss the trauma of children who are separated from parents.
• Nancy Vogele (Manchester, NH) or Maggie Fogarty, co-director of the NH American Friends Service Committee, will discuss what NH and VT faith communities are doing to protest federal immigration policy.

DISCUSSION: What can we do?

1. Establish sanctuaries in our communities/churches?
2. Vote for policies requiring police departments not to call/cooperate with ICE/Border Patrol?
3. Leaflet areas where the Border Patrol has raided locations outside of its legal jurisdiction, including the White River Junction Greyhound station?
4. Sign up for actions: Marches, Vigils, Protests, Civil Disobedience?