EVERYBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO BE HEALTHY, EVEN REFUGEES AND THOSE IN JAILS AND PRISONS
ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
Because we’re all interconnected, the greater exposure of our undocumented neighbors and of those held in jails, prisons, or ICE detention to COVID-19 fuels the pandemic and makes our lives more precarious. Congress must reconvene to protect these vulnerable groups. While your sponsorship of the Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act, is a good first step, Congress needs to
- completely close the gaps in relief between immigrants and non-immigrants
- force ICE to stop immigration enforcement, parole as many detainees as possible, and release all children and their families from custody
- drastically reduce the jail and prison population by co-sponsoring and pushing for passage of the Emergency Community Supervision Act.
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
Because we’re all interconnected, the greater exposure of our undocumented neighbors and of those held in jails, prisons, or ICE detention to COVID-19 fuels the pandemic and makes our lives more precarious. Congress must reconvene to protect these vulnerable groups. Congress needs to
- completely close the gaps in relief between immigrants and non-immigrants
- force ICE to stop immigration enforcement, parole as many detainees as possible, and release all children and their families from custody
- drastically reduce the jail and prison population by co-sponsoring and pushing for passage of the Emergency Community Supervision Act.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
ACTION THREE: WRITE TO VOTERS FROM YOUR HOME
Organizing for the 2020 Election is going VIRTUAL!
- Find virtual events at http://swingleft.org/
- Host a virtual letter-writing party! Get started here: http://swingleft.org/p/virtual-letter-writing-party
Stay tuned — more activities to come!
BACKGROUND:
We’re all better off when we’re all healthy, since we’re interconnected. Whether it’s undocumented neighbors who provide vital services but must work through illness because denied relief, or people held in jails, prisons, or ICE detention centers, their exposure to COVID-19 fuels the pandemic.
It’s most obvious in our mistreatment of immigrants and those in ICE facilities, jails, and prisons—more likely to contract COVID-19—making the pandemic worse for us all.
- CARES Act excludes tens of millions of immigrants from COVID-19 testing and care, cash and benefits
- 34,000+ immigrants in ICE custody and 1.6 million in overcrowded state and federal prisons, whose exposure may turn confinement into death sentences
Emergency Community Supervision Act (S. 3579/HR 6400)—mandating release of those medically vulnerable, 50+, and with short remaining sentences—and Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act—providing universal access to COPVID-19 testing and treatment and cash relief to many undocumented—are good first steps, but much more’s needed.
We’ll only contain this pandemic, if Congress returns to:
- completely close these gaps
- force ICE to stop immigration enforcement, parole as many detainees as possible and release all children and their families from custody
- drastically reduce jail and prison population
SOURCES:
Booker, Harris, Jeffries Introduce a Bill Aimed at Vulnerable Individuals Behind Bars
