Princeton Council has come out squarely against the conditions in immigrant detention centers and the practice of separating children from their families, while also calling for fully funding a universal legal services program to provide indigent detainees with legal representation.
Princeton Council unanimously adopted a resolution outlining its position at its Jan. 13 meeting.
The resolution was prepared by former Princeton Civil Rights Commission member Afsheen Shamsi, who has been circulating the resolution in towns across New Jersey.
She plans to take it nationwide.
Princeton, meanwhile, became the third town in New Jersey to endorse the resolution. Montgomery Township was the first town to adopt the resolution, followed by Bound Brook, Shamsi said.
Shamsi thanked the Princeton Council for its support for the resolution, which she said grew out of an op-ed, or opinion piece, that she wrote last summer. She called for an end to “concentration camps” that are holding the undocumented immigrants.
Shamsi said that as she has traveled to other towns to speak in support of the resolution, she has heard many people “opine that it is not the town’s place to comment on federal matters.” She said it makes her wonder whether this is how the Holocaust started.
The resolution adopted by Princeton Council states that it “condemn(s) the inhumane treatment of migrants at our borders and in the interior of the country. “It also affirms that “all men, women and children who come to our borders have a right to due process and to the full and fair opportunity to seek protection in the United States.”
The resolution calls for the end of immigration detention, the unification of children with their families and their release from detention facilities. In addition, the families should be afforded “due process by allowing them the full and fair opportunity to seek protection from the United States.”
The resolution points out that with the exception of Native Americans, “we are all descendants of people who migrated or were brought as slaves to America from other parts of the world.” Those migrants have contributed “to the very fabric of the country through their work across various sectors,” it said.
“The treatment of migrants and the separation of children from their parents…. is inhumane, unconstitutional and goes against the United States’ long-standing ideal of upholding and advocating for human rights,” the resolution said.
Noting that more than 2,000 immigrants have been detained in New Jersey and that they cannot afford an attorney, it has become more urgent to guarantee them due process and access to legal representation – especially as the number of immigration arrests rise, according to the resolution.
Before opening up the Princeton Council meeting to public comment on the resolution – which Mayor Liz Lempert acknowledged would easily be approved by the six-member Princeton Council – council member Leticia Fraga thanked Shamsi for her advocacy and for drafting the resolution.
“I feel this resolution truly reflects our values [and] who we are a a community when it comes to protecting our neighbors,” said Fraga.
Linda Oppenheim told Princeton Council that her mother came to United States from Poland in 1929 on a student visa. When it expired, she went to Mexico to live with her brother instead of returning to Poland and subsequently received permission to emigrate to the United States.
Oppenheim said it “disturbs” her whenever she hears the phrase “illegal immigrant.” She said she was born in mid-century America, as a white child with unparalleled opportunities to for health, shelter and education.
Oppenheim said she feels an obligation as a patriot and as someone who loves this country, to see that all residents – whether they were born in the United States or not – have an equal opportunity to achieve their highest potential.
Sally Sternberg, who is an immigration attorney, said she supports the resolution. As a descendant of immigrants who worked hard and struggled to “make it,” she supports her neighbors who are trying to do the same thing “against terrible odds.”
Imam Sohaib Sultan, who is the Muslim chaplain at Princeton University, said he offered his support for the resolution to reunite migrant families immediately. He said that at the end of a long day, he looks forward to spending time with his young daughter.
“It behooves us to take action today and to continue this movement until this great stain upon the character of our nation is removed. This must not be allowed to stand,” Sultan said of the separation of children and their parents.
