ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- We are a coalition of people, many of whom are mothers, dedicated to human rights, and the fundamental principle behind democracy that all human beings have a right to life, liberty and dignity. We are partnering with national, regional and local communities and organizations who believe that these fundamental rights are not negotiable and are willing to protect them.
On Friday July 12th, 2019, Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps, will bring thousands of Americans to detention camps across the country, into the streets and into their own front yards, to protest the inhumane conditions faced by refugees.
Across this country, we have witnessed acts against people fleeing persecution many of us thought we would never see in modern times.
At Trump's human detention camps, teen mothers and babies are held outdoors in "dog pounds." We have witnessed the sick and elderly confined to "icebox" rooms for weeks at a time. Unbelievably, children as young as 4 months are taken from their parents, medicine is confiscated, and medical care withheld, and LGBTQ and disabled individuals are held in solitary confinement. [1]
"The Trump administration's immigration policies and detention camps meet the United Nations' definition of genocide and crimes against humanity," [2] said Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin, lawyer, activist and organizer. "Congress is refusing to stop the president and his policies. We cannot allow these atrocities to be perpetrated in our name."
Perhaps most terrifying, refugees are beginning to be moved onto military grounds, [3] where there will be a complete lack of oversight from the media, lawyers, and human rights monitors. Many of us thought we would never see anything like this in modern times.
"Now is the time for every person to stand up and say, 'We will not accept this!' No more hesitating. No more denial. No more fear. We need to be bold, and loud, and unrelenting. That's the only way we can stop this," said Kristin Mink, activist and organizer.
Lights for Liberty seeks to create this event in solidarity and allyship with communities most impacted by the abuse of our immigration system. We seek to work in solidarity with grassroots organizations both new and historic, those who are well-funded and on shoe-string budget. We are moved to mobilize with anyone: moms, dads, and people of moral conscience who cannot stand to see families and communities destroyed. Simply put, our country is at a tipping point.
About Lights for Liberty: Lights for Liberty is a loose coalition of grassroots activists, with support from long-standing immigrants' rights organizations and other organizers. More information can be found at http://www.lightsforliberty.org.
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[1]
Human dog pounds: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/border-patrol-outdoor-detention-migrants-el-paso/
Iceboxes: https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-migrants-detention-centers-iceboxes-20180807-story.html
Child as young as four months taken from parent: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/16/us/baby-constantine-romania-migrants.html
Medicine confiscated: https://news.yahoo.com/border-patrol-is-confiscating-migrant-kids-medicine-us-doctors-say-225354608.html
Medical care withheld: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adolfoflores/colorado-ice-detention-aurora-medical-care-migrants
LGBTQ and disabled people held in solitary confinement: [2
UN definition of genocide: https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml
UN definition of crimes against humanity: [3
Migrants being moved to military facilities: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/migrant-children-to-be-kept-at-armys-fort-sill-in-oklahoma/
SOURCE Lights For Liberty
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