Dear John,

Everyone’s health should be a concern as we work to keep each other healthy and safe during this pandemic—but today members of our community who are in prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers are at especially high risk of getting sick. 

After weeks of organizing and advocacy by our staff and partners, New Jersey took a step in the right direction yesterday, moving to reduce its jail population by as many as 1,000 people. It’s time for other states—and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities—to do the same. 

Tell your governor and ICE to protect incarcerated people from COVID-19!

Forced proximity to others and a lack of access to adequate health care are particularly dangerous during a pandemic. Many people who are incarcerated or detained are elderly or coping with health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to the new coronavirus. And in just the past week, we’ve seen new cases of COVID-19 among incarcerated people across the United States, including California, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. 

Join AFSC in urging governors and ICE to protect incarcerated people from COVID-19 and promote the health, human rights, and dignity of all.     

Now is the time to expand compassionate release to seniors and medically vulnerable people, release anyone held on bail or in ICE custody, provide access to free COVID-19 testing and medical services, protect access to due process, and ensure that people who are incarcerated can remain connected to their loved ones on the outside. 

Members of our community who are in prisons, jails, and detention centers should be treated with the same compassion and dignity that we all deserve.

Urge your governor and ICE to take action today!  

In solidarity,

Lewis Webb, Jr.
Program Coordinator, Healing Justice  

Kristin Kumpf        
Director, Human Migration and Mobility