Viviane Faver
Pro-Palestinian and pro-immigrant activists are taking to the streets in Philadelphia with signs and banners in the city center reading “Biden, #Ceasefire #ShutDownMoshannon #ShutDownElizabeth.”
President Biden was in the region for a campaign fundraiser and national address in Valley Forge.
According to the Director of Civic Engagement of Pennsylvania Voice in Philadelphia from the Free Migration Project, Jasmine Rivera, the White House’s support for financing the genocide in Gaza and the desire to return to Trump-era policies (continuation of construction of the border wall, closure of the border, destruction of asylum, relentless enforcement of ICE without prosecutorial discretion) are alienating Pennsylvania’s key voting blocs.
“The continued quest to fund war, genocide, and attack immigrants not only alienates Muslim and immigrant voters, but also black, Latino, progressive, and young voters. All of whom are already polling and are Philadelphia’s key demographics that the Biden campaign needs to show up in the general election and win the state. In Pennsylvania, the number of beds dedicated to immigrant detention has increased under the Biden administration since the Trump administration, with the opening of the Moshannon Detention Center in central Pennsylvania. The Moshannon Detention Center and the Elizabeth Detention Center in North Jersey are the two largest ICE prisons for immigrants in the Northeast. Pro-Palestinian and pro-immigrant activists demand that the President get rid of militarism and invest in life.”
To clarify the matter further, I did a special interview with the Director of Civic Engagement of Pennsylvania Voice in Philadelphia, Jasmine Rivera. Originally from Chicago, she grew up primarily in Arizona and became involved in social justice movements at a young age. Organizing with the Black and Latinx community in the Philadelphia area, she played a lead role in the passage of Philadelphia’s Paid Sick Time law and Sanctuary City policy. As the Director of Civic Engagement, she helps table partners run programming to increase civic engagement for members of the New American Majority, remove barriers to voting access, ensure representation, win on issue campaigns, and achieve racial equity in the progressive community and statewide.
– How is the repercussion of the war in Gaza among Muslim and black immigrants? I do not identify as either Muslim or as a Black immigrant, but the conversations I have been having with people who are have been of anger and disappointment to President Biden and other elected officials. And most are either considering not voting in the 2024 election or have already decided they will not vote for Biden. There’s even a handful now actively working to organize a boycott against voting for Biden.
– Could you explain to the reader how the support that Biden is giving for this war represents can return to the policies of the Trump era (continued construction of the border wall, closure of the border, destruction of asylum, relentless enforcement of ICE without prosecutorial discretion) are alienating Pennsylvania’s key voting blocs.
Biden campaigned on overturning every Trump era immigration policy, it was a central part of his platform and has completely failed to do so even before the genocide in Gaza began. When he was first in office, there was a hope that Congress would finally pass a pathway to citizenship, and hundreds of thousands of people across the country took action throughout 2021 for that to pass, which, of course, it did not. Since then, the Democratic party as a whole has completely ignored the issue of immigration and is now willing to gut asylum, create a mechanism to shut down the border, expand immigrant detention and thus deportations. And this is besides already expanded detention, deportations and the continued border wall construction underway. All while there is zero mention of a pathway for citizenship, but a request for billions for wars. This is a slap in the face to the immigrant community, who are not only people and families who deserve dignity but are also the real driver of this country’s economy. And this is a slap in the face to the American people whose tax money is being used to commit genocide on the Palestinian people while the wages remain stagnant, inflation is still high and there’s a housing, childcare and public education crisis.
– Could you talk and explain more about this topic? It is very important to show people the reality of what is really happening in this government.
In Pennsylvania, the number of beds dedicated to immigrant detention has increased under the Biden administration since the Trump administration, with the opening of the Moshannon Detention Center in central Pennsylvania. The Moshannon Detention Center and the Elizabeth Detention Center in North Jersey are the two largest ICE prisons for immigrants in the Northeast. Pro-Palestinian and pro-immigrant activists demand that the President get rid of militarism and invest in life. The Moshannon and Elizabeth Detention Centers, like all immigrant detention centers, are unnecessary and abusive. ICE and DHS are not required to incarcerate immigrants in immigration proceedings, it is a choice they are making. Greed fuels the motivation to detain immigrants. It is yet another opportunity to make money off of locking up Black and Brown bodies. There have already been countless reports and documentation of the misuse of solitary confinement, which is torture, verbal abuse and racist rhetoric by guards, lack of nutritious meals and medical neglect in both facilities. And just last month, a death inside of Moshannon; a man whose parents have now buried their child for a death that was 100% preventable. This is despicable and President Biden has the unilateral power to shut down both detention centers right now. Just like he has the power to stop supporting Israel’s genocide on Palestinians.
I could also get an opinion from the Executive Director of CAIR-Philadelphia, Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, about this situation. “As a Turkish immigrant in the US, I am inspired to see US born black and brown Muslims, as well as many immigrants from different faith backgrounds including the Latinex and Black immigrants, on the forefront of the #ceasefirenow movement. These diverse communities come together around a simple message: We need to stand for peace and humanity; Israel’s actions in Gaza are inconsolable and unacceptable and politicians who cannot express a clear stance for an immediate ceasefire are betraying the basic principles of humanity, the stated ideals of this country, and their communities.
