Friends,
As you may know, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has paused its use of Pease Airport in Portsmouth for immigration and detention flights. These flights have now resumed at Hanscom Airport in Bedford, MA.
I’d love to claim that this was a victory of people power in Portsmouth. But the truth is we need a broad, sustained and unified approach to keep ICE out of New England. And we all can play a part.
Thank you for signing the petition to keep ICE out of Pease. Can you take two more actions now to join the growing movement to prevent our local institutions from collaborating with ICE?
1) Join us tomorrow at the next meeting of the Pease Development Authority Board. We will greet board members as they enter the building and let them know we want to keep ICE flights out of our airport.
- Tuesday, Oct 21, 8am-10am
- 55 International Drive, Portsmouth
- For information, contact me at GroatJanet@gmail.com.
2) Write to the Rockingham County Commission to oppose a contract with ICE to hold detainees in the Rockingham County Jail. The proposed contract, initiated by the federal government, is favored by two of the three elected County Commissioners, as it would bring an estimated $6 million to the county. However, it would do nothing to ensure that ICE follows due process in arrests and detentions and would make our county government complicit with these illegal and inhumane activities.
- Email Commissioners@co.rockingham.nh.us to send a message to all three commissioners.
If you can do more, contact RockinghamStandsTogether@gmail.com for a petition to circulate among your friends and neighbors in Rockingham County and to learn how to get involved.
Click here and fill out this short form to tell us how we can contact you directly.
Sincerely,
Janet L. Groat
– On behalf of many others who are working hard to make New Hampshire a welcoming and safe place.