We gather to protest against the detention camps on our southern borders and the private, for-profit prisons housing tens of thousands of refugees and immigrants, INCLUDING HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN, ALONE, SEPARATED FROM FAMILIES.

WE WILL STAND IN FRONT OF THE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER because the Holocaust and genocide did not start with extermination camps. We are violating fundamental American family values and respect for diversity. Now is the time to stand up for what we believe in while we still can. Now is the time to say never again. If you ever wondered what you would do at the start of the Holocaust, you are doing it now.

Many traditions teach that each and every person deserves to be treated justly and with compassion. Yet, on our southern borders, refugees and immigrants are being physically and emotionally abused. Thousands of children, separated from their parents, are being held in inhumane conditions. In early July, the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security cited the scandalous deprivations confronting these children, from the lack of drinking water and medical attention to having to eat spoiled food and sleep on the floor in crowded cages! Accounts of immigration lawyers, doctors, and Congressional representatives depict the horrible conditions of these detention camps.

Such physical and emotional cruelty calls us to be their advocates, to demand action for humane treatment and reuniting of families.