Category: Human Rights

Port Elizabeth NJ Shut Down by Anti-Genocide Activists

Leave a comment

by Mark Colville, Amistad Catholic Worker

There are two major international shipping companies (Maersk and Zimm) operating out of Port Elizabeth, NJ, which handle the bulk of arms shipments to the rogue nation of Israel for its relentless genocidal campaign of terror in the West Bank and Gaza. In October, 2025, and again on May 22 of this year, the entrance to the port was blockaded by local activists at significant physical and legal risk, in the attempt to terminate our nation’s criminal collusion in this unmitigated evil. The loading of the ships was interrupted for several hours, and apparently at significant financial cost to the shipping companies engaged in this criminal behavior. Both groups of activists were originally charged with multiple felonies, carrying the risk of several years in prison upon conviction. Subsequently, that was shown to have been a vacuous threat: in response to their collective refusal to accept any plea of guilty to a lesser “crime,” all of the serious charges in both cases were reduced to misdemeanors, and the matters have now been remanded to municipal court.

On August 4, the five indicted activists who had performed the first blockade, most of whom hail from upstate New York, journeyed several hours by car in order to appear at trial in Elizabeth municipal court the following day. This is a trial that they have insisted upon by refusing to take any plea to a lesser charge. They’d made the exact same journey less than thirty days previously, taking two days away from work and family responsibilities, only to be told at the hearing that the prosecution was not ready, and a postponement was necessary. But then, once again, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on October 5, the court sent an email to one of the accused, indicating that the state was still not prepared to go forward, and therefore the trial would, for the third time in 10 months, be postponed again. By the time anyone was informed, they’d already arrived in New Jersey. The ongoing duplicity of the court is on full display here: they show no compunction about arresting people for constitutionally protected public action, and then charging them beyond the realm of sanity and proportionality, simply as a cynical method of coercion in service to keeping the U.S. government’s status quo of criminality beyond the scrutiny of the public. At this writing, the judge has still refused to dismiss the case based on the violation of their constitutional right to a speedy trial.

Inspired by the October ’25 activists, I chose to join the second direct action this past May. (See a filmed report on this action as it happened, here: bit.ly/45HTghK.) On August 6 (the eighty-first anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima), we ten accused were finally brought to court for our first hearing – not in person but by a Zoom link! You can stay tuned for updates on the legal progress of this saga if you like. Just don’t expect anything to come from the courts that even pretends to be about the pursuit of justice. The law is simply being used as a bureaucratic weapon by these duplicitous and overburdened legal functionaries, for the purposes of institutionalizing government impunity and keeping those of us engaged in responsible citizenship in a constant state of instability and fear.

Demonstrate June 5 Against Citizens Bank’s Financing of ICE Detention Centers

by De-Ice Coalition

Friday, June 5, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.:  Demonstrate outside of Citizens Bank, 39 Church Street in New Haven, CT. Activists in New Haven will join the national movement calling on Citizens Bank to stop financing The GEO Group and CoreCivic, two of the largest private operators of ICE detention centers in the United States- and calling on those who have accounts at Citizens to remove their money unless and until they do this.

Join thousands of people across the country to send Citizens Bank a clear message: financing private prison and immigration detention facility operators The GEO Group and CoreCivic is bad for business, bad for our communities, and unacceptable to Citizens Bank depositors.

Please bring signs specific to this action: De-ICE Citizens Bank; Cages Aren’t Communities; Citizens Bank – Stop Financing ICE Prisons; Citizens Bank + ICE = Human Rights Abuse; ICE Prisons Don’t Strengthen Our Communities; Citizens Bank – Cut Ties With ICE Prisons; etc.

Citizens Bank is bankrolling the country’s two largest prison companies that are earning record profits operating dozens of ICE detention facilities.

While most major banks have cut ties with CoreCivic and The GEO Group, Citizens Bank is deepening its financial support for these companies, which are already holding more than half of the 70,000 immigrants currently in ICE detention centers across the country.

The bank’s capital is supporting a deplorable ICE agenda that aims to fill detention centers with more than 100,000 people by next year.

Even as it publicly touts its commitment to “strengthening our communities,” Citizens Bank has played a key role in helping The GEO Group and CoreCivic access more than $2.5 billion in financing, some of it approved earlier this year. This comes as the companies face a mountain of allegations, including forced labor and wrongful deaths due to understaffing and medical neglect at their facilities.

We won’t quietly stand by as Citizens continues to finance the private prison & ICE detention companies that are harming our communities. The 2019 exodus of banks from the industry in response to activism should be a reminder to us that our voices matter. Now it’s time to use them. Visit www.de-icecitizensbank.org for more information and other actions you can take!

Remember, we want to be in solidarity with workers including bank branch employees. Treat everyone with respect and do not harass or film employees.

A core principle behind all Coalition events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. We expect hosts to ensure all participants in your event uphold this commitment. We recommend all participants review a safety and security resource before your event, such as https://indivisi.org/safety.

For more information about the campaign in general, go to: https://www.de-icecitizensbank.org/.

Go to https://www.mobilize.us/deicecitizens/event/953363/ to RSVP for this event now. This local action is organized by New Haven Sunday Vigil for Peace and Justice.

Major Immigrant Protection Bill Signed into Law

by Joelle Fishman, May 10, 2026, People’s World

The successful, hard-fought campaign to expand protections for immigrants in Connecticut was celebrated at the bill signing of SB 397 outside the State Supreme Court. Written following wanton ICE violence in Minnesota and other communities, the bill was championed by New Haven state senator Gary Winfield, chair of the Judiciary Committee.

In a contentious two-day House debate, Connecticut stories of ICE kidnapping immigrant students and parents were shared. “This is a very measured response to federal overreach and a way to protect people living here in the state of Connecticut from, frankly, a lawless and out-of-control ICE,” said Bridgeport state representative Steven Stafstrom.

The omnibus bill creates ‘protected areas’ from immigration enforcement, including schools, hospitals, social service agencies, and houses of worship. It bans agents from wearing masks, allows citizens to sue for constitutional violations, and limits use of automated license plate readers. It prohibits state or local police departments from hiring former federal law enforcement officers found guilty of misconduct, and requires 480 hours of training before officers can be hired by state agencies.

It also gives the state inspector general the right to investigate the use of deadly force by federal agents, and removes immunity from officers who arrest or assault someone taking photos or videotaping their actions.

After passing the Senate, the bill was debated in the House for two days before passing 91-57 along party lines. No Republicans voted in favor.

“Many thanks to everyone who made this possible by testifying, showing up, and spreading the word,” said Tabitha Sookdeo, naming “CT For All organizations that worked tirelessly, members and staff at CT Students for a Dream, ACLU of CT, Husky for Immigrants, Hartford Deportation Defense, Make the Road CT, NHFT, 32 BJ SEIU, SEIU 1199 NE, CT AFL-CIO, GHIAA, and more.”

The Connecticut AFL-CIO joined in support of the rights of immigrant workers. “This bill is a vital step in ensuring that ICE is held accountable to Connecticut’s laws,” said president Ed Hawthorne. “It serves as a reminder that when we raise our voices against injustice, we create real change.”

US-Mexico Border and Race Symposium

by Michelle Zacks, Associate Director, Gilder Lehrman Center

Scheduled for Saturday, May 2, this is a one-day symposium at Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave., free and open to the public, called The US-Mexico Border and Race, Past and Present. It is organized by the Gilder Lehrman Center in close collaboration with GLC Associate Research Scholar, Dr. Melissa Torres (Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). The symposium features a keynote address by Prof. Sonia Hernandez (Texas A&M), followed by two panel discussions and a break-out Q&A session for K-12 teachers. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served, as well as afternoon snacks and beverages.

The program was conceived as a follow-up to the Yale and Slavery project, and the various projects at Yale focusing on the university’s and New Haven’s key roles in the eugenics movement of the early twentieth century. This program will follow that thread by focusing on the xenophobia and white supremacist ideas that have long been embedded in U.S. immigration policy broadly and in the construction and policing of the US-Mexico border in particular. Speakers will connect the histories of violent, racialized border control policies with the contemporary violence of ICE raids, warrantless detention, family separation, concentration camps, deportation, and foreign imprisonment. They also will address how communities within the borderlands continue to develop creative modes to survive and resist these exclusionary forces.

We hope you can join us for this important conversation. For more information, for the full schedule for the day, and to register, please go to bit.ly/4tZBkcu.

SCSU Rally Calls For ICE-Detained Student’s Release

Thomas Breen, April 6, 2026, New Haven Independent

More than 100 students, teachers, and immigrant rights advocates gathered outside of Southern Connecticut State University’s (SCSU) Buley Library Monday [April 6] to speak up for a classmate who was detained by federal immigration agents off campus last week.

photo: Thomas Breen

photo: Thomas Breen

Speaker after speaker on Monday — including co-emcees Justin Farmer and Sam Morrison, students and faculty from SCSU, and organizers from UNITE HERE 217, the New Haven Immigrants Coalition, and Unidad Latina en Acción, among other groups — called for the detained student to be released, for the university to support undocumented students, and for a mass mobilization against the Trump administration in response to the federal government’s immigration crackdown.

[More at https://bit.ly/4tpkTpM.]

 

 

Thoughts on Medical Assisted Suicide to Be Viewed at Women’s & Gender Studies Conference

by Paula Panzarella, PAMAS

Thoughts on Medical Assisted Suicide, produced last year by Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide (PAMAS), will be featured at Southern Connecticut State University’s Women’s & Gender Studies Conference.

After the film viewing, there will be a presentation via Zoom by Anita Cameron and audience discussion.

Anita is a disability justice activist who has been involved in social change activism and community organizing for 44 years. As a Black disabled lesbian, Anita has dealt with racisim, sexism, ableism, and homophobia – sometimes combinations of these.

As of this printing, the workshop “Medical Assisted Suicide: A Threat to the Vulnerable” is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 1:45-3 p.m. More information is at https://inside.southernct.edu/womens-and-gender-studies/conferences/2026, or call 203-392-6133.

Report on New Haven Immigrants Coalition

by Susan Bramhall, NHIC

On Saturday, Feb. 7, one of the coldest days of our current snowy winter, the New Haven Immigrants Coalition (NHIC), with support from 8 other organizations – C4D, CT Tenants Union, PSL CT, New Haven Federation of Teachers, Artists Against Apartheid, Yalies for Palestine, and Greater New Haven Indivisible – invited groups and community members who want to engage more actively in support for immigrant justice to a gathering at the First Presbyterian Church. The crowd of 210 that responded to Break the ICE! filled the sanctuary! The incredible turnout showed our shared enthusiasm to expand and strengthen our community in response to authoritarian and racist threats. A primary goal of the organizers was for everyone to meet and get to know each other and the organizations they work with and to learn about the many aspects of the NHIC work. I can testify that the initial “ice breaker” challenge to talk to three people you haven’t met before during a 5-minute period was inspiring and gave me a sense of how diverse the gathering was.

NHIC organizers gave brief overviews of the current NHIC working groups including the rapid response and hotline team, the family solidarity group providing direct aid for families with members who have been detained, the group doing outreach to communities and businesses to prepare for anticipated ICE activity, court accompaniment, food solidarity supporting families who can’t risk shopping or are food insecure. After the gathering in the sanctuary, people were treated to a delicious dinner from Mazorca and hangout sessions to connect with working groups and organizations. It was an exciting warm event, truly Breaking the ICE on a freezing night.

FUNDRAISER in April – stay tuned for the date. To learn more, apply to volunteer, get trained or donate, visit the NHIC linktree at https://linktr.ee/NHVimmigrants.

Mark Colville’s reflections on his trip to Minneapolis

Friends,

I’ve just returned from two days of street actions in Minneapolis, including a solemn procession from George Floyd Square to the site of Renee Good’s murder, the general strike and massive ICE OUT march on Friday, which shut down the city. This email is a brief report-back, and comes with special thanks to everyone who kicked in donations to make the voyage possible. It changed me. I’m deeply grateful.

Arriving in the wee hours on Wednesday, I was able to make it to the federal building by noon Thursday, where an ongoing protest vigil established at the beginning of the ICE occupation has continued every day. (To put the occupation in perspective, at present there are, on average, maybe 12-14 ICE agents assigned to most cities in the country; in Minneapolis, there are now over two thousand.) Resisters at the federal building spend the time yelling at ICE personnel as they hastily pass through the gate in their cars, most hiding their faces under masks even while driving.The anger among the people here is widespread, focused and relentless. Words like “coward”, “traitor”, “fascist”, and “FUCK ICE” are hurled perpetually. Pictured on the lower left is my new friend, Bill Breeden, a retired UU minister from Indiana with whom I was connected by Barb Cass and Mike Miles from the nearby Anatoth CW farm. (They’ve graciously offered hospitality to any of us who wish to return in the coming weeks/months.) Bill and I ended up accompanying one another for the next two days of robust resistance.

On Friday morning, upwards of fifty faith-based resisters gathered at St. Paul’s Lutheran church, located in the neighborhood where George Floyd was murdered.

A solemn pilgrimage began at that very spot, now known as George Floyd Square and occupied by a variety of neighborhood people’s organizations. Each corner of G.F. Square is marked by a large statue of a raised fist, with a platform for public speaking-out. A gas station across the street has been converted to a community gathering place. The coalition of people’s organizations here has come up with a list of 24 specific demands, and they’re committed to action and occupation of this public space until each one is met.

Read more

At Anti-ICE Rally, Artists Weave Culture Through Calls to Action

by Lucy Gellman, Jan. 12, 2026, Arts Paper

Artists, activists, immigrant rights advocates and organizers came together Sunday afternoon [Jan. 11] for “ICE Out For Good,” a rally and gathering that was part of a national day of action grieving the death of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis, Minn. last week. Organized by the national group 50501, the gathering became a call to action amidst escalating violence from ICE agents, directed at both immigrants and U.S. citizens.

“None of this is normal,” said longtime organizer and human rights champion Kica Matos, now president of the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and the Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF). She took a moment to acknowledge the 32 known people who have died in ICE custody in the last year alone, victims of a machine that has deported over 500,000 immigrants since January 2025. “Let me say it again. This is not normal.”

“What we are witnessing is authoritarianism and it is being built on the backs of immigrants,” she continued. “Renee’s brutal murder is a sign that this administration’s violence and lawlessness has now extended beyond immigrants. You know why that is? That is because authoritarianism never stops at its first target.”

[To read the article in its entirety, see https://bit.ly/49zbowQ]

1 2 3 … 21