By Donald Gilpin

Princeton Council’s passage of a resolution last week calling on the White House, Congress, and the state of New Jersey “to reunify migrant families, release them from detention, and afford them due process in immigration proceedings” was a significant statement of support, and it may be just a preliminary step in making Princeton a truly “welcoming” community.

“I, like so many others across the nation, have been horrified at the inhumane treatment of migrants at our borders, in detention centers, and in the interior of the country,” said Afsheen Shamsi, who drafted the resolution with help from Farrin Anello at the ACLU-NJ and Adil Ahmed at Make the Road NJ. “I believe that we all have an obligation to speak up against this injustice and to call on our elected officials at every level to reunify migrant families and allow them to go through immigration proceedings with legal representation.”

She continued, “This is an issue for every person of conscience, every business, every corporation, every institution, and all of our elected officials. We all need to raise our voices, and I am so grateful to Mayor Lempert and all of our leaders in Council for raising their voices. Princeton is truly a wonderful community due to our leadership on the fair, just, humane, and inclusive treatment of migrants in our community.”

A copy of the resolution has been sent to the Mercer County freeholders, the 16th District New Jersey assemblymen and senator, Governor Phil Murphy, U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, and President Donald Trump.

Princeton Councilwoman Leticia Fraga applauded the Council’s unanimous support for the resolution and noted the many proponents who spoke up at the January 13 meeting. “I was very touched to hear so many members of our community who attended and spoke passionately in support of our neighbors as well as migrant families nationwide,” she said.

Fraga acknowledged the limited power of the resolution, but emphasized the importance of Princeton’s taking a stand in support of the immigrant community. “While I recognize that Council can’t have direct influence over federal policies and procedures, it is still important that we all have a voice in calling on elected officials at every level to represent our values,” she wrote in an email. “In New Jersey alone we have more than 2,000 immigrants detained, often in unacceptable conditions and most without access to legal representation. We cannot look away.”

She went on to point out the nationwide crisis, “While nothing is done to repair our broken immigration system, thousands of immigrants are forced to make the life-threatening journey to cross borders out of desperation. The current policy of separating families and holding them like criminals in jail-like conditions needs to stop. We need to work across all levels of government to ensure families are reunified and that they receive the humane care they deserve.

“Individually, we are but one voice. Together, we have the power to unite our voices and call on our country to live up to our ideals. We should always keep in mind that we are a nation of immigrants, and we ought to welcome and aid the most vulnerable.”

New Latin American Legal and Defense Education Fund (LALDEF) Executive Director Dina Paulson-McEwen expressed her pride and excitement at the Princeton Council’s passage of the resolution. “Princeton is on the right side here, 12,000 percent,” she said. “I am thrilled.”

She continued, “The rights of so many have been under attack by the current administration. We have seen riveting, truly democratic political moments in the past few years, where state courts and local leaders and citizens have challenged so-called mandates coming from the administration and put forward the statements, politics, and support they feel is needed at these moments of attacks.”

In her first full month at the helm of LALDEF, Paulson-McEwen is planning for the next stage for the organization and the Mercer County immigrant community that it serves. “What happens to immigrants once they do become settled here, with the very necessary support of LALDEF, up against so many systemic, tactical, and emotional violences and racisms in our system of ‘welcome?’ I want us to be thinking about our goal for cross-cultural integration: the question is not just how do non-immigrants welcome immigrants or how do immigrants begin to intermingle with non-immigrants. The questions here are about examining the shared and not shared joys and pains and prejudices and successes. How do we enrich each other’s lives and form more connection and understand more about each other when we do come together? No one’s journey is alone.”