To the Editor:
We, leaders in the Martha’s Vineyard faith community, are deeply disturbed by the actions taken Tuesday by masked representatives of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and by other Federal agencies on the Vineyard. We view their tactic of pulling work vans over and detaining individuals as shameful and as a fishing expedition without probable cause or due process. We view those pulled aside and detained as human beings in the image of God, worthy of respect and with the same basic rights as citizens have under the law. As the book of Leviticus says, “the strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself” (Lev. 19:34). Yesterday’s actions by ICE were without honor, instilling fear in our community rather than enhancing our safety and security. Such sweeps diminish our humanity and diminish the safety and security of our community. We call upon ICE’s Acting Director Todd Lyons and ICE’s Acting Director of Enforcement Kenneth Gelano to end their practice of stop and grab and to direct their agents and representatives to act in such a way as to bring honor to their agency.
The Reverend Cathlin Baker
The Reverend David Berube
The Reverend Woody Bowman
Rabbi Caryn Broitman, Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center
The Reverend Jill De La Hunt
The Right Reverend Ian T. Douglas
The Reverend Sharon Eckhardt
The Reverend Armen Hanjian
The Reverend Vicky Hanjian
The Reverend Stephen Harding, Rector, Grace Episcopal Church
The Reverend Cynthia Hubbard
Rev. Joanne Hus, Pastor, United Methodist Church of Martha’s Vineyard
Bruce and Sarah Nevin, MV Friends Meeting (Quakers)
Rabbi Lori Shaller
The Reverend Janet Stoddard
The Reverend Dr. Storm K. Swain
The Reverend William Turpie
Susan Waldrop, Interfaith Minister at Large
Rabbi Brian Walt
The Reverend Mark Winters, Pastor, Federated Church of Martha’s Vineyard
Perhaps the ministers could work to change the law rather than speak harshly of those who are charged with enforcing it. Though it’s unlikely that immigration law will change because it is fully constitutional and supported by vast majorities.
The law also says that everyone must receive due process prior to being deported. So I assume you mean that that law must also be enforced.
There are now 7 different MVTimes pieces in one week on this topic, including a separate “news” article about the fact that this letter was written.
It is not the job of journalism or of faith “leaders” to impose personal and divisive political views on a community.
Gratitude and respect for the moral clarity of any island faith leaders who did not sign this letter or wish to be associated with all the signers’ varying personal views.
No matter the religion, I especially appreciate faith leaders who recognize how inappropriate it is for a religion to enable a newspaper to damage a community by editorializing on a topic with hysteria and calling it “news”.
I agree. I wrote a response to last weeks MV Times article “Island faith leaders decry ICE detentions”. Basically outlined my concerns about selective outrage from these “faith leaders”, the lack of outrage over the economic exploitation of this working class on MVY among others. It didn’t make the cut past the editorial censors. Maybe it hit a little too close to home. Quite the open forum from the MV Times.
It is “NEWS” when people on this island are forcibly removed without due process…You put “leaders” in quotes. What exactly did you mean? Are these people not the leaders of our faith communities? Or is your only leader our fuhrer?
Emotionally presented news, times 7, is not news. One factual news report with updates, plus a notice that the Brazilian Cultural Festival was postponed, would have sufficed. Additionally, a designated editorial expressing the liberal sturm und drang could have driven home the opinion of this newspaper.
I do not know how to state my objections to a few of the above letter signers to make them acceptable in this forum. (I tried.) You’ll have to look into the bios of individual faith “leaders” yourself.
Trump is not anyone’s “fuhrer”. It remains antisemitic to throw around the Nazi epithets at people who have nothing to do with actual Nazi ideologies and intentions. Minimizing actual Nazi atrocities by making these kinds of false equivalency accusations, like an untrue “our fuhrer”, is dangerous.
It is unsafe enough for Jews living in the diaspora these days, and we are here legally as citizens, having committed no crime. Yesterday on a local island Facebook group, an islander asked me the blood libel question: “Don’t you have some children to kill?” Islanders need to be more careful with using antisemitic slurs and Nazi equivalents to express differing political views. No one in law enforcement, Homeland Security, or in Trump’s administration is shooting immigrants on the street, lighting them on fire, starving them, or deporting them in cattle cars to gas chambers and crematoria. Please use your words more thoughtfully.
I would disagree with the idea that all the Jews are “legally here as citizens”. Or that they don’t commit crimes.Of the approximately 40 people who were rounded up , officials have claimed that only 2 of them committed serious crimes. Since they have not provided any details, I assume they are lying. Some of these people may indeed have some sort of legal status that is pending–( an asylum claim for instance) I have a Jamaican friend living in Baltimore that applied for a green card on the grounds that her father is an American citizen. She has waited 18 months and her visa has since expired– She knows if she goes back to Jamaica, she won’t be allowed back in. I agree that administration officials aren’t doing the horrendous things we all hope they won’t,but the U.S military is at the border, trump asked why we couldn’t shoot immigrants in the legs, and many U.S citizens would happily shoot them. Just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. We have learned from history that dictators don’t come to power by stating that they will round up a certain group of people and execute them. It happens slowly.
It is not the law that is the problem, it is the enforcement. Each person is afforded due process which is not being given. Many people who are being rounded up in this terrifying manner may be here legally but are not being given the opportunity to show it.
As many point out, it is about enforcing the law, including providing due process.
And it is also about policy: our economy needs these workers. As we are willing to take their work, we should provide them with a formal immigration status. Call it amnesty and get upset if you like, but I already received notes from island business warning me of reduced service because their workers have been removed.
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