Protesting what they call the inhumane treatment of detained immigrant families by federal authorities, activists in Jersey City gathered on the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza on July 3.
Michael Billy, who heads the Hudson Pride Center, helped organize the event. It was designed to call attention to federal policies that separate children from their parents after families allegedly enter the United States illegally and are detained.
While the practice pre-dated the Trump administration it was exacerbated when the administration instituted “zero tolerance,” relocating babies and older children in temporary shelters while their parents underwent legal proceedings.
Over the last several months, published reports have claimed nearly 2,500 children have been separated from their parents at U.S.-Mexico border crossings in recent months. The Department of Homeland Security said 1,995 children had been separated from their parents during a period from April to May of this year.
Although the two most prominent photographs that showed kids in cages turned out to be mis-identified, emotions aroused by separating children from their parents have aroused nationwide controversy and protests.
Part of a national protest
The Jersey City rally, which was allied with the national protest by Families Belong Together, focused on the family separation issue and on federal treatment of immigrants in general. With people chanting and musicians pounding drums, the rally became a voter registration effort to encourage people to participate in this fall’s midterm congressional elections – seen as critical for Democrats to retake Congress – in the hopes of putting an end to current federal immigration policies.
Billy said the abuses by the Trump administration include other groups besides immigrants, such as members of the LBTGQ community and those fighting for women’s rights.
“Things are happening on the national level that hurt people everywhere,” he said. “Jersey City is one of the most diverse communities in the nation. We have to take a stand here.”
City Council members Mira Prinz-Arey and James Solomon said the city is trying to offset some of the impact of federal immigration through local pro-immigrant policies.
“I’m glad that we are also working on legislation to create municipal identification, so people regardless of their status can take advantage of things that the city has to offer,” said Prinz-Arey.
Anyone who cannot provide identification when stopped by federal agents can be detained until their identity is established. While the ID program does not completely protect immigrants, it provides a shield against such detention.
“The number of children held in New Jersey and New York who were separated from their families at the border is unknown.” – First Friends of New Jersey and New York
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Legal rights are questioned
U.S. marshals are charged with incarcerating the adults charged with illegal entry. The children are separated while legal proceedings take place. Depending on the seriousness of the charge, according to the DHS, the children are often released back to the custody of their parents the same day – if the parents plead guilty and agree to be deported.
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that they are not entitled to court-appointed legal representation, many did not have lawyers. Because they don’t speak English, many may not even understand the proceedings.
Asylum seekers
The more difficult issue involves asylum seekers who can arrive at any entry point in the U.S. The Trump Administration has put strict limits on those seeking asylum. The process of deciding their fate could take months or years, resulting in long term separation from children who are often relocated to shelters far from their parents.
Homeland Security has also raised concerns about who makes up a family, noting that adults may be bringing in children other than their own. This week, the federal government indicated it would begin DNA testing on kids and self-declared parents.
Doubts about the Trump administration’s claims
Although Trump issued an executive order in June supposedly ending the practice of breaking up families, most activists do not trust it. Local groups such as First Friends of New Jersey and New York have long protested the existence of children immigration centers, some of which they say predate the Trump Administration.
First Friends supports immigrants who are detained in New Jersey, many of whom have been separated from families, including some separated at the border.
“The number of children held in New Jersey and New York who were separated from their families at the border is unknown,” according to information issued from First Friends.
There are about a dozen child detention centers located in this area, most of them in New York.
Activists from Jersey City said they need to build a united front against oppression that affects immigrants, LGBTQ people, and women, because many of the issues are the same.
In leading the chants, Billy stressed the fact that what is a problem for one group is also a problem for another.
“We need to end the oppression,” he said.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.
