WE STAND WITH GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK

  NO HUMAN BEING IS ILLEGAL!
Right now tens of thousands of children fleeing state violence from South and Central America are stuck at the US Mexico border. Many of the children who are under 18 are from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. After surviving the trek for thousands of miles through the desert in search of sanctuary and safety, these children have been met with open hostility.  

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.   On July 18 Governor Patrick announced that Massachusetts would welcome and house 1,000 of these children. This stance of compassion is one we feel that the people of Massachusetts are fully in support of.    It was proposed that these children stay at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, MA, or at the Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod. Since their arrival people in the border states of Texas and Arizona have protested housing these children. Even in Massachusetts there are people who stand against this.     

 America was founded on immigration, human beings have the right to migrate freely, and no human being is illegal.   We believe that the majority of the people stand with Governor Patrick and support his decision. 

The New England Peace Pagoda is on a ten day walk across the state and we have been gathering signatures along the way from organizers, youth, families, interfaith communities, and people from every stratus of Massachusetts who support housing these refugee children.     

Join us in supporting Governor Deval Patrick's decision to welcome these children.  

To Governor Patrick,   

We, the undersigned, are inspired by and stand with you in your call to embrace and support the refugee children coming from Central America. We believe it is our humanitarian and civic duty to help one another and your words give us great hope.   

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In Western Mass we will be organizing continued actions of support for these children, and in support of all undocumented people.    

To learn more please visit
comunidadesjustas.org | newenglandpeacepagoda.org | arisespringfield.org