FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 9, 2018
Contact: Gebe Martinez, gebe.gmnetworking@gmail.com, 703-731-9505
Jennifer Amuzie | jamuzie@interfaithimmigration.org | 202-867-4567 | 912-996-2570
Faith and Community Leaders Urge Calls to ICE and Maryland Elected Officials to Demand Marta’s Release and End Attacks Against Immigrants
BALTIMORE, MD — Marta Rodriguez, a wife and mother who has regularly checked in with ICE for nine years, was detained Monday after arriving at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office and now faces deportation to Honduras, prompting a wave of protests among faith and other community leaders who accompanied her to the scheduled check-in.
More than one hundred supporters, who waited outside while Ms. Rodriguez reported to ICE office, immediately called on Maryland’s state and federal officials –and ICE — to demand that she be immediately released, along with other asylum seekers under threat of deportation including brothers Nelson and Prince Gbohoutou.
“This is very hard for us,” said Omar Angel Perez, lead organizer for LA RED/Faith In Action, a member of the DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network which rallied and prayed for the asylum applications, along with National Immigrant Justice Center, American Friends Service Committee, Sanctuary DMV, Undocublack, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries, and others.
“This, again, is an example of how this system is separating our families,” Perez said. “But we are going to continue fighting for Marta and for Nelson and for Prince.”
Ms. Rodriguez did not address the crowd of supporters but wept quietly as prayers were recited by members of the clergy, including her own pastor. She was accompanied to the ICE office by her pastor, two children and other members of the community.
Nelson and Prince Gbohoutou are brothers who were brought to U.S. over a decade ago as children from the Central African Republic (CAR).Their father’s asylum claim was denied and their mother was tortured and murdered by uniformed men back in their home country.
Nelson also arrived at the Baltimore ICE office Monday morning for what was supposed to be a routine check-in with the agency. His brother Prince is currently detained after ICE officers arrested him during his last check-in.
“I’m not doing anything illegal. I’m doing everything they ask me to,” Nelson said before entering the ICE field office. At this current time, Nelson’s fate is unknown within the ICE offices.
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Faith In Action (formerly PICO National Network) is the largest grassroots, faith-based organizing network in the United States. PICO works with 1,000 religious congregations in more than 200 cities and towns through its 60 local and state federations. PICO and its federations are non-partisan and do not endorse or support candidates for office. PICO urges people of faith to consult their faith traditions for guidance on specific policies and legislation. Learn more at www.piconetwork.org.
Created in 2015, LA RED is a program of Faith In Action focused on immigrant rights, indigenous rights, education, and advocacy. LA RED is committed to the protection and security of immigrant communities through various means of resistance, including deportation defense, sanctuary advocacy and fighting for the rights of all immigrants including undocumented workers and families, DREAMers, and TPS holders.
The DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network is a partnership between Sanctuary DMV and PICO National Network. The organization is a network of congregations in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia that provide support and solidarity to neighbors, friends, and family who fear being detained, deported and profiled.
The UndocuBlack Network (UBN) is a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people that fosters community, facilitates access resources and contributes to transforming the realities of our people, so we are thriving and living our fullest lives. The UndocuBlack Network’s mission is twofold: 1) to “Blackify” this country’s understanding of the undocumented population and 2) to facilitate access to resources for the Black undocumented community. Learn more at http://undocublack.org.
The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, we nurture the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social systems.
Sanctuary DMV is a feminist anti imperialist group of concerned DMV community members dedicated to protecting immigrants and targeted communities.
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