To: James N. Mattis, Secretary of Defense
General Mattis: Say NO to Imprisoning Immigrants on Military Bases
We, the undersigned citizens, insist that you immediately halt any plans to incarcerate immigrants indefinitely in austere, temporary tent encampments on any Military bases located near the US Southern Border and beyond.
It is jurisdictionally and morally unsound and misguided for the Military to be involved in the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. It is not the job of the US Military to imprison immigrants for any reason or length of time, at any time. Many aspects of the policy are being litigated and overturned in the courts as The Departments of Human Services and Homeland Security struggle to reunite separated migrant children with their families. As you are aware, transparency is low as the Administration has granted even Congress very limited access to the current detention centers. As more information is known about these detentions, Reports of mistreatment and outright abuse of detained migrants, including children, are coming out.
If migrants are imprisoned on military bases, military morale will decrease, its reputation at home and abroad will suffer, and recruitment will lag.
We strongly urge you to do the right thing and halt any plans to incarcerate immigrants on Military bases, for any reason.
It is jurisdictionally and morally unsound and misguided for the Military to be involved in the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. It is not the job of the US Military to imprison immigrants for any reason or length of time, at any time. Many aspects of the policy are being litigated and overturned in the courts as The Departments of Human Services and Homeland Security struggle to reunite separated migrant children with their families. As you are aware, transparency is low as the Administration has granted even Congress very limited access to the current detention centers. As more information is known about these detentions, Reports of mistreatment and outright abuse of detained migrants, including children, are coming out.
If migrants are imprisoned on military bases, military morale will decrease, its reputation at home and abroad will suffer, and recruitment will lag.
We strongly urge you to do the right thing and halt any plans to incarcerate immigrants on Military bases, for any reason.
Why is this important?
In late June, press reports indicated that Gen. James Mattis was asked by the Administration to assist with the "zero tolerance" immigration policy by building austere, temporary tent camps on military bases to incarcerate migrants detained at our southern border. Gen. Mattis indicated his permission, although this incarceration plan is jurisdictionally and morally very problematic. And clearly, we the people need much more information about this.
It is not the Military's job to imprison immigrants for any reason or length of time. Migrants from the southern border are overwhelmingly fleeing violence in their home countries. They are not enemies of the U.S. Rather, many of them have legally requested Asylum but are being criminalized nonetheless.
Parts of the Zero Tolerance policy are being reversed in court challenges, such as the separation of children from their parents, and the indefinite detention of children & families. Moreover, both houses of Congress have created a version of the Families Belong Together Act, which explicitly states that they do not favor indefinite detention of these migrant families. Reports indicate that now, the Administration has reverted to an Obama-era policy which let families live in the U.S., wearing ankle tracking bracelets, as they await adjudication of their cases. It is not clear that more detention facilities are even necessary. Transparency has been abominable as even members of Congress are denied access to many detention centers. There are reports of inhumane conditions which some congressmembers have actually observed, and more of which have been kept hidden from the legislature and the public. This is a national emergency, and I have created this petition because the zero tolerance policy has proven to be inhumane and illegal, at least in some respects. For the armed forces to get involved would hurt the Military's reputation both at home and abroad and would certainly negatively affect morale and recruitment of new volunteers.
I hope you'll sign my petition to General Mattis, urging that he do the right thing by halting any activity in furtherance of the request to build tent camps and incarcerate migrants in them on military bases. In halting this action, he would be acting for the Military, the migrants who are neither foreign nor domestic enemies of the United States, and for citizens. It's the right thing for him to do.
It is not the Military's job to imprison immigrants for any reason or length of time. Migrants from the southern border are overwhelmingly fleeing violence in their home countries. They are not enemies of the U.S. Rather, many of them have legally requested Asylum but are being criminalized nonetheless.
Parts of the Zero Tolerance policy are being reversed in court challenges, such as the separation of children from their parents, and the indefinite detention of children & families. Moreover, both houses of Congress have created a version of the Families Belong Together Act, which explicitly states that they do not favor indefinite detention of these migrant families. Reports indicate that now, the Administration has reverted to an Obama-era policy which let families live in the U.S., wearing ankle tracking bracelets, as they await adjudication of their cases. It is not clear that more detention facilities are even necessary. Transparency has been abominable as even members of Congress are denied access to many detention centers. There are reports of inhumane conditions which some congressmembers have actually observed, and more of which have been kept hidden from the legislature and the public. This is a national emergency, and I have created this petition because the zero tolerance policy has proven to be inhumane and illegal, at least in some respects. For the armed forces to get involved would hurt the Military's reputation both at home and abroad and would certainly negatively affect morale and recruitment of new volunteers.
I hope you'll sign my petition to General Mattis, urging that he do the right thing by halting any activity in furtherance of the request to build tent camps and incarcerate migrants in them on military bases. In halting this action, he would be acting for the Military, the migrants who are neither foreign nor domestic enemies of the United States, and for citizens. It's the right thing for him to do.