BRATTLEBORO-I recently worked with local comrades on organizing a protest at the Vermont ICE Headquarters in St. Albans. It seems odd for a band of Windham County folks to organize something in the opposite corner of Vermont, but we have felt a strong pull in that direction.
The actions and tactics of ICE under this Trump administration have been so offensive to our sense of decency. Many of us come from a Judeo-Christian tradition, where the concepts of "do unto others as they would do to you" and "love your neighbor as yourself" form the bedrock of morality. The denigration, detention, and deportation of migrants feels like a wound to our community and body politic.
Humans are a migratory species. We have evolved to seek safety, reliable sources of food, and security to raise our offspring. All of us, including the First Americans, came from elsewhere and sought to make a decent life.
Everyone has the right to be free from hunger, persecution, and violence. Everyone has the right to earn a living and live in peace. Everyone has a right to a place to live and a right to health care. Everyone has the right to seek asylum and have a fair hearing.
When we fail to live up to these standards, we dishonor our ancestors and our sisters and brothers.
It should be of no surprise to anyone that we desperately need the work of recent migrants in our community and country. In Vermont, our beloved dairy industry relies on migrants, and nationally our vegetable growers and meat processors do the same. Health care, construction, and hospitality industries also need the hard work that migrants provide.
During the pandemic, we held up and honored the essential workers who kept the country going while many of us stayed safe at home awaiting a vaccine for Covid.
We need to do the same with our migrant neighbors.
Leo Schiff
Brattleboro
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