Thank you to everyone who has joined National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and our partners in recent weeks to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) release, not transfer, people from immigration detention in Illinois as county jails’ detention contracts end this month.

Our organizing efforts have pushed for the release of many people, but there are still about 30 people detained at both McHenry and Kankakee. Yesterday, our coalition received word from several people at both jails that they have been told transfers will happen this Friday.

If these transfers proceed, ICE would be completely disregarding requests for release that NIJC clients and other detained immigrants submitted to the ICE Chicago Field Office in recent weeks – not to mention our collective demands to release those currently detained!

We need your help in this final push to pressure Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting ICE Chicago Field Office Director Sylvie Renda to #FreeThemAll and #ReleaseNotTransfer all those still detained in Illinois.

Join us in making calls and applying pressure on Twitter TODAY, February 3rd starting at 12:00pm!

Keep reading for Twitter instructions and call scripts

Twitter Storm: Feb. 3, 12-1 p.m. Central

Hashtags: #FreeThemAll #ReleasesNotTransfers | #LiberenATodes #LiberarNoTransferir

Tag: Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security - @SecMayorkas, Sylvie Renda, Acting Field Office Director for ICE ERO - @EROChicago

Sample Twitter Posts:

@EROChicago Sylvie Renda @SecMayorkas: everyone should have the right to fight their immigration case at home, alongside their family & community. Transferring people hundreds of miles away from their support system is inhumane and violent! #FreeThemAll #ReleaseNotTransfers

We call on @EROChicago Sylvie Renda, Acting ICE Field Office Director, and Secretary of Homeland Security @SecMayorkas to #ReleaseNotTransfer everyone who is detained at McHenry and Kankakee! Use your power to #FreeThemAll!

@SecMayorkas & @EROChicago COVID is raging throughout the ICE detention system. People have been placed in solitary confinement due to COVID exposure! It’s inhumane to keep people detained during a pandemic! #FreeThemAll #ReleasesNotTransfers from McHenry and Kankakee jails

#FreeThemAll from McHenry and Kankakee ICE detention! We call on the acting @EROChicago ICE Chicago field office director Sylvie Renda & DHS @SecMayorkas to ensure #ReleasesNotTransfers for everyone

Make a Call!

Number: ICE Office of Public Affairs (202) 732-4646*

Sample script:
"My name is (state your name) and I’m calling as part of the Free Them All Campaign to urge you to fully release and not transfer everyone that is still currently detained at both McHenry and Kankakee county ICE detention facilities. Transferring people hundreds of miles away from their community, to another state, when they could be released to fight their immigration at home near their family and loved ones is inhumane and unnecessary. With the current COVID outbreaks, and lack of health and safety precautions, transfers are dangerous and will affect the long term health of everyone involved. It’s time to free them all!"

*Please note with many people calling, you might not be answered. Try to leave a message if the mailbox isn't full.

Thank you for taking action to help end the unnecessary detention of our community members.

-Tara Tidwell Cullen
Director of Communications, National Immigrant Justice Center

Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser

NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER
224 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 600  |  Chicago, Illinois  60604
immigrantjustice.org