“As more Americans are confined to their own homes, they increasingly relate to the isolation and fear that thousands of migrants in detention feel,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. “This campaign allows supporters to engage in creative ways to forge closer connections and offer hope to those who need it the most.”
As of late March 2020, approximately 38,000 immigrants were being held in detention centers across the country. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, immigration authorities suspended all social visitation in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. These visits from friends, family, faith leaders, and volunteers are a vital source of hope for thousands of men and women.
“Now is the time for the United States to ensure that everyone, no matter where they may be, has the health care that they need. Treating people that are detained as an afterthought puts everyone’s public health in danger. We can, and we must, do better” said Denise Bell, researcher for refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA. “This is the time to show that are all interconnected and that we stand together, even while physically apart.”
Letters, poems, and artwork will be delivered to detention centers by El Refugio (Atlanta, GA), Allies to End Detention (San Diego, CA), Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (Phoenix, AZ) and LIRS’ wider network of visitation partners. Donations to local partners will be used to support their mission, which includes the bolstering of commissary accounts immigrants use to contact their loved ones and purchase hygiene products while in detention.
“If this crisis has made anything clear, it is that we are all dependent upon each other to ensure the health and well-being of our neighbors and ourselves,” noted Vignarajah. “We may have to self-isolate for the time being, but we know that hope can’t be quarantined.”
For more information on the campaign, visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/distant-but-together-responding-to-covid-19/
About Amnesty International: Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
About LIRS: Founded in 1939, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is one of the largest immigration and refugee resettlement agencies in the United States. LIRS is nationally recognized for its leadership working with and advocating for refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations. Through 80 years of service and advocacy, LIRS has helped over 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in America.
Media contacts: LIRS: Tim Young | [email protected] | 443-257-6310
Amnesty International USA | Mariya Parodi | [email protected] | 212-633-4211