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

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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 of Thetford, Sherry Merrick, Thetford peace activist and event organizer

Moderator:   Annelise Orleck, Thetford resident and Dartmouth history professor

PRESENTATIONS

• 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.
• 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. Even families who legally request asylum face losing their children.
• Ray Chin, PhD, Child and Family Clinical Psychologist, will discuss the trauma of children who are separated from parents.
• Rev.  John Gregory-Davis, co-pastor with his wife Susan of the Meriden (NH) UCC Church, will discuss what NH and VT faith communities are doing to protest federal immigration policy.

DISCUSSION: What can we do?

•  Establish sanctuaries in our communities/churches?
• Vote for policies directing local police not to cooperate with ICE/Border Patrol in its raids on undocumented immigrants who have committed no crimes, and who are living and working in our communities?
• Leaflet areas where the Border Patrol has raided locations outside of its legal jurisdiction, including the White River Junction Greyhound station, which is more than 100 miles from the border?
• Sign up for actions: Marches, Vigils, Protests, Civil Disobedience?
• Support lawyers and other advocates working directly with these incarcerated children and their parents?
• Pursue other forms of protest against/boycotts of military contractors such as MVM Inc. and General Dynamics Corp., both based in Virginia, who profit from transporting and incarcerating these children?

WHO TO CONTACT

Chief of Staff John F. Kelly

Address: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500 Phone: 202-456-1414

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Address: US Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001

Phone: 202-353-1555

DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen

Address: Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C. 20528

Email: DHSSecretary@hq.dhs.gov Phone: 202-282-8495

Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan

Address: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th St. SW, Washington, D.C. 20536

Phone: Phone: (202) 732-4285

HHS Secretary Alex Azar

Address: Office of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201

Email: Secretary@HHS.gov Phone: 202-690-7000

Acting Assistant ACF Secretary Steven Wagner

Address: Administration for Children and Families, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201

Phone: 1-877-696-6775​

Office of Refugee Resettlement Director Scott Lloyd

Address: Office of Refugee Resettlement, Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C ST SW, Washington DC 20201

Phone: 202.401.9246

Your two senators and one House representative. Address: Look up here.