FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 3, 2018
Contact: Gebe Martinez, gebe.gmnetworking@gmail.com, 703-731-9505
Jennifer Amuzie | jamuzie@interfaithimmigration.
Jennifer Amuzie | jamuzie@interfaithimmigration.
WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday, July 9 at 8:45 a.m., Faith In Action, LA RED, DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network, the National Immigrant Justice Center, American Friends Service Committee, Sanctuary DMV, Undocublack, American Friends Service Committee, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries, and others will be accompanying Marta Rodriguez and Nelson Gbohoutou to their immigration check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in downtown Baltimore, and will be calling for the immediate release of Prince Gbohoutou who remains in ICE custody after being arbitrarily detained by this ICE office.
“As many of us are rightly fixated on the separation of thousands of immigrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border, it is imperative that we remember that family separation happens right here in our local community every day at the hands of this agency,” said Omar Angel Perez, lead organizer with DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network. “The actions of the Baltimore Field Office—as in other parts of the country—are proving that retaliatory and abusive behavior, and a complete disregard for the well-being of immigrant families and communities bleed through this rogue agency.”
Originally from Honduras, Rodriguez, a mother of five who has been in the U.S. for nearly a decade, is scheduled to attend her check in with ICE after only receiving a two-month stay of deportation in May. Nelson Gbohoutou is an asylum-seeker from the Central African Republic and is the brother of Prince Gbohoutou. Prince is currently being held in a Frederick County jail after avoiding forceful deportation last month. Prince was detained by ICE on April 19, in front of his wife Shaniece, when he appeared for what he thought was a meeting to receive his work permit.
The support for Marta has been has been overwhelming. On May 10, the day she was scheduled to be deported, Rodriguez showed up with more than 100 representatives from DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network, LA RED-Faith in Action, Sanctuary DMV, immigrant rights advocates and others.
While Rodriguez and Gbouhoutou are inside, supporters will rally on the steps of the ICE regional headquarters and demand the release of Prince Gbouhoutou, and that both Marta Rodriguez and Nelson Gbouhoutou be allowed to return to their families and communities. “All detention is separation. If either Marta or Nelson is detained today, it will be another act of family and community separation,” said Perez. “The fact that Prince, Nelson’s brother, is already needlessly detained, demonstrates the practice of separating families out of this regional office.”
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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 PICO National Network 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.
Sanctuary DMV is a feminist anti imperialist group of concerned DMV community members dedicated to protecting immigrants and targeted communities.
