November 16, Philadelphia – Never Again Philly: End Private…

November 16, Philadelphia – Never Again Philly: End Private Detention

All across the country, Immigrants, Jews, and Accomplices are fighting back against the violence targeting migrant communities.  For those of us who are Jews, this machine of detention and deportation fills us with the echoes of our history, and we know it is our responsibility to follow the lead of immigrant justice organizers in showing up for this struggle. On November 16th, join us in helping disrupt the spread of xenophobic violence against migrant children! That evening, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health will be hosting its biggest fundraising event of the year–the Hope Gala. Meanwhile, the agency just received a $14 million contract from the federal government to detain migrant children across the country, including in Devon, PA. In Devon alone, Devereux will house 42 migrant children who crossed the border without an adult. The theme for this year’s gala is “Fostering Independence.” This language is not only darkly ironic but also dangerous: it normalizes Deveraux’s compliance with family separation and incarceration. Devereux claims it is committed to “unlocking human potential,” but we know that this organization is in fact part of the big business of locking up Black and Brown people, a business as old as this country. This organization presents itself as benevolently “sheltering” minors, but any shelter you cannot voluntarily leave is a jail. Immigrant rights organizations have taken the lead in exposing this hypocrisy. On November 16th, we will be gathering Downtown Philadelphia (exact location forthcoming) to demand that Devereux cancel its plans to open up even more detention centers. Their zoning permit has already been denied. We demand that Devereux halt all appeals for this new detention center. We will further demand an end to corporations profiting off of immigrant detention, the complete defunding of ICE and CBP as overall agencies, and permanent protection for all undocumented immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. We are calling on the Philadelphia community to fight back against corporate complicity and participation in the concentration camp system and human rights abuses against immigrants and refugees, and prevent more detention centers from opening. We are looking for folks who would be interested in taking on roles! Stay tuned for more info on how to get involved. Even If you can’t make it, please sign and share the petition against the detention center created by Juntos! https://vamosjuntos.org/campaigns/DevereuxOutOfDevon