Dear Friends,
As part of our shared faith, we believe in the dignity and worth of every human being. We are sending you this invitation because of your past interest in immigration justice.
Today, you can help make a difference in the lives of many immigrants in our state by taking just a few simple steps. Our support is needed for two bills introduced in the current state legislative session to protect people who are undocumented.
Please consider acting on this now, as part of the state-wide effort to reach all our legislators.
The bills—H.F. 1919 in the House and S.F. 2118, a partner bill in the Senate— were introduced by the Minnesota Sanctuary State Coalition, of which ECLC is a member. Enacting these bills would prohibit local law enforcement from collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which currently leads to deportations of many who live and provide essential services in our community.
Passing these bills would assure that local law enforcement focuses resources on local rather than federal laws. The appropriate separation of authority would reduce deportations (often for minor infractions), allow immigrants to live without constant fear, and would make our communities safer for everyone.
Here are the steps you can take:
1. Identify your representatives:
2. Send an email, something like:
Dear Senator / Representative __________________,
My name is __________________. I am a resident in your district and am writing to urge you to support H.F. 1919 [for your representative] / S.F. 2118 [for your senator], a bill that would make Minnesota a Sanctuary State and prohibit the collaboration between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Our undocumented neighbors have suffered greatly from this practice which encourages racial profiling, uses local resources to enforce federal rather than local laws, separates families by deporting people often for minor infractions and makes our communities less safe for everyone. As one of your constituents, I ask you to please support this bill by adding your name as a co-sponsor. Let me know if you need additional information.
Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.
[Your Name]
3. Let us know of your emails and any responses you receive.
The Minnesota Sanctuary State Coalition is tracking responses for future planning, so please send a brief email to terrie.thompson@me.com indicating:
We will then provide this information for the Coalition’s database. Thank you for taking the time to support our immigrant neighbors! On behalf of the ECLC Immigration Action and Advocacy Committee,
Camilla Madson & Terrie Thompson