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When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the Lord am your God. (Leviticus 19:33-34)
Greetings JCA Members, Volunteers and Leaders!
On May 12, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the largest single-site immigration raid in this country’s history. The raid was at the Agriprocessors plant, the nation’s largest kosher meat supplier. Over 390 people were detained, and over 250 arrested and charged. The majority of those swept up in the raid were from Guatemala and Mexico. This raid is not the first of its kind, but is unique because those arrested were charged with felonies and sentenced to 5 months in prison before being deported. This is the first time undocumented people have been criminally charged in the aftermath of a raid. Prior to this raid, they were instantly deported. This raid, like all raids, has torn families apart and has violated our own laws regarding due process of law and humane treatment of residents, whether they are citizens or non-citizens. Postville is a small town and the raid has had, and will continue to have, a devastating effect on this rural community. In addition to those in jail, women with children who were arrested were sentenced to 5 months of house arrest. Because they are unable to work during this time, it is nearly impossible for them to support their families. In the aftermath of the Postville raid, Jewish Community Action has been receiving numerous calls and emails asking questions about what being done and what is going on. Bellow you will find some frequently asked questions and our answers:
Frequently Asked Questions: Q. I heard the raid happened because of poor treatment of workers in the Agriprocessors plant, is this true? A. No. It is true that there have been allegations of worker abuse at the Agriprocessors plant; however, the raid was not in response to this. Q. Why did the raid happen? A. The raid happened because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is trying to show that it is tough on those who violate US immigration laws. ICE is using intimidation and fear to scare immigrants and harm legal citizens as well. Q. Are raids really that bad? A. Raids separate families and violate our own laws regarding due process of law and humane treatment of residents, whether they are citizens or non-citizens. Raids harm legal citizens as well as non-citizens and turn rural towns upside down. Raids intimidate and harm legal citizens and employers who are trying to do the right thing. Q. How can we stop the raids? A. Comprehensive immigration reform is needed to protect the rights of people and to create a true and accessible path to citizenship. Raids are not a solution to our broken immigration system. Unless the system is mended, Postville will be just the beginning of a series of false attempts at solving the immigration “problem” in America. Q. What would Comprehensive Federal Immigration Reform (CFIR) do? A. CFIR would provide a path to citizenship, emphasize family reunification, legalize future migration, protect human rights; dignity and due process, and protect workers and employers. Q. My family came here legally, why can’t new immigrants do the same? A. Until we have CFIR, there is not path to citizenship available to the majority of new immigrants; there literally is not a way to do it under the current laws. Q. Why are there so many people coming here now from Mexico and Central and South America? A. US trade policy, specifically the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA-1994) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-2005) has made it extremely difficult for people to survive in their home countries. NAFTA and CAFTA have created greater wealth disparity, destroyed agriculture as a means for income and forced wages down in all countries involved. Economically, NAFTA, CAFTA and other US trade policies have proven disastrous. Q. Why should I care about immigrants as a Jew? A. Our history compels us to stand up for justice, whether it affects us directly or indirectly. Jewish Community Action has long stood by immigrant communities who – much like our own - come to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their families, oftentimes escaping violence, war and poverty. We are also directed in the Torah to stand up for the strangers in our midst. Q. This is horrible! What is JCA doing about it? A. Jewish Community Action is working with other organizations to come up with a response to this disastrous situation. We are thinking about the short term: meeting the needs of the people now by raising money –and the long term: how to organize around this to stop future raids. We will be updating you shortly as we have more concrete plans. Q. I understand that we need to work for immigrants’ rights, but what about the workers’ rights too? A. Immigrants are workers, and until there is comprehensive federal immigration reform, the national immigration debate should not be fought out in the workplace on the backs of workers. Q. What is JCA doing about workers’ rights? A. We are working on a new campaign initiative called Hekhsher Tzedek, a marking that would indicate kosher food was produced in a manner that respected the workers, the animals and the earth. Many of the problems in the kosher food production industry are food industry-wide. Of course, that does not mean that makes it all right. It does mean that the Jewish community has an obligation regarding food being produced specifically for us. By definition, kosher food is in compliance with Jewish dietary and ritual laws. This campaign will bring kosher food into compliance with Jewish ethical law and social justice values. Q. Does the Hekhsher Tzedek replace the existing kosher certification? A. No – it will be used in addition to traditional kosher certification. Only food already certified as kosher will be eligible to receive a Hekhsher Tzedek. Q. Why should we care about this as Jews? A. As Jews, we are in a unique position to advocate for improved working conditions, environmental standards and business practices in kosher food-producing businesses. · Kosher food is produced in our name, for our community. We are the consumers of kosher food. We are in a great position to help kosher food producers meet the desires of their customers, make their products more attractive to customers, and become more just in their practices. Also, when consumers come together and ask businesses to make change, oftentimes businesses listen. · Many Jews view keeping kosher as a means of sanctifying our world. Hekhsher Tzedek is an extension of this value and a concrete way of practicing it. · Our tradition teaches us to pursue justice, and to repair the world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jewish Illegal Immigration: Jewish Community Action has long stood by immigrant communities who – much like our own - come to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their families, oftentimes escaping violence, war and poverty. As US Immigration policies have shifted over the years, oftentimes tightening on different groups and populations, pockets of “illegal” immigration have followed. Currently, the policies are tightened on the peoples of Mexico and Central and South America. It was not that long ago, that Jews were in a similar situation. In the 1920’s, the US passed unprecedented immigration laws that created nation-based quotas aimed at slowing down Eastern and Southern European immigration and eliminating Asian immigration. The idea was to keep out those deemed “undesirable,” such as Jews. This legislation kept many Eastern European Jews from coming to the US; however, it did not stop them entirely. Therefore, Jews too came here “illegally,” for similar reasons and with similar methods including: · entering with fake papers or someone else’s papers · crossing the Canadian and Mexican border by train, car, foot or plane, sometimes alone and sometimes with “coyotes” (smugglers) and · entering via Cuba by boat to Florida or Louisiana Due to their immigration status many Jews kept a low profile and it is difficult to know the exact numbers who came through “illegally,” however it has been estimated that at least tens of thousands arrived this way between 1921 and 1924 alone. Similar reactions existed then for Jews as do now for Latinos including: · extensive records of federal investigations of smuggling rings involving American and foreign Jews · extensive records of individuals caught violating US immigration law and · extensive media coverage about the “flood of illegal immigrants” Additionally, when the US tried to pass laws requiring foreign non-citizens register with the government, the Jews lead the charge in calling them “un-American,” and condemned the quota laws as well. Later in the late 1930’s with quota laws still restricting immigration, Jews were turned away and left to face a dire reality back in Europe. In addition to Jews, many other groups of people have been excluded from immigrating to the US throughout time for various reasons, and like the Jews, have made efforts to come despite the existence of an unwelcoming atmosphere. As Jews, we are commanded to stand up for the strangers in our midst and in this situation, we cannot turn our backs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Help Is Needed Immediately! · Money and Food are the biggest need for the families affected: Please send checks to:
Jewish Community Action/Attention Postville University Ave. W., Suite 150 St. Paul, MN 55114
· Write a letter to the editor denouncing raids and calling for comprehensive federal immigration reform.
· Attend the next Immigrant Rights Leadership Team meeting to help plan our response · Demand comprehensive federal immigration reform from your legislators!
In the coming days and weeks, stay tuned for info about: · What to eat now · JCA’s long term and short term response · Links to news articles and letters from Rabbis on the Postville raid · A report on Agriprocessors published by the United Food and Commercial Workers
For more information: Please call: 651.632.2184 and ask to speak with Vic or Lauren Please email: lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org or vic@jewishcommunityaction.org
Letter from Rabbi Kravitz regarding Postville
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POSTVILLE NEWS
UFCW Agriprocessors 5-28-2008 Report
Jewish Community Action responds to Postville: A Jewish call immigrant and worker justice
On Sunday July 27, 2008 Jewish Community Action will lead a caravan down to Postville, Iowa. In Iowa, we will be joined by local organizations, families affected by the raids, union members, church members responding to the raids, and fellow concerned Jews from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) of Chicago.
We will deliver much needed food and monetary donations as well as participate in community activities in support of workers’ rights and immigrants’ rights.
Monetary donations can be mailed to JCA (2375 University Avenue West, Suite 150, Saint Paul, MN 55114, note: Postville Donation), please contact us for food drop off sites. Details to be determined. Stay tuned for more information.
FFI: Visit www.jewishcommunityaction.org, call 651-632-2184 or email Lauren Bastien (lauren@jewishcommunityaction.org), Melissa Rudnick (melissa@jewishcommunityaction.org) or Vic Rosenthal (vic@jewishcommunityaction.org).
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