WASHINGTON, DC (December 9, 2024) From December 10th – International Human Rights Day – through December 18th – International Migrants Day – protests, vigils, and events will take place across the United States to stand up for immigrant communities. These actions will demand human rights for all people, including immigrants and people facing oppression throughout the world. People who migrate to the U.S. should be welcomed by their host communities, their basic human and civil rights respected, and they should be offered with a dignified path to citizenship. President-elect Donald Trump’s unwelcoming stance on immigration policies during and after the election has left immigrant families and immigration advocacy groups with no choice but prepare to face his threats of mass deportation.
This Week of Action is organized by a coalition of leading immigrant rights groups, including the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Detention Watch Network, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Immigrant Justice Network and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Events are being held across the country, including in Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, and along the U.S.-Mexico border. For a full list of events, please click here.
“We have organized this week of action to amplify our belief in a world where all people are treated with dignity and respect. We strive for immigration policies that are welcoming, and that offer people an opportunity to legalize their status," said Amy Gottlieb, U.S. Migration Director for AFSC. “We call for an end to, rather than an expansion of, immigration detention and deportation, and reject the idea that border walls deter migration. With these actions we launch our resistance to policies that do not uphold our vision.”
Throughout the week, events will highlight the rights of immigrants and people on the move to live with dignity and justice. Demands include protecting any programs that support immigrants, dismantling the detention and deportation apparatus, supporting opportunities for people to migrate safely, and pathways to citizenship.
To recognize the importance of human rights for all people, we will also call for solidarity to end the genocide against Palestinians and all others who are facing violence through expanded militarism, authoritarianism, and the consequences of colonialism.
“The Biden administration is leaving behind a legacy of immigration detention expansion weeks before Donald Trump becomes president. Detention and deportation deprive people who are immigrants of their liberty, separate them from their loved ones, and exclude them from their communities,” said Marcela Hernandez, Membership and Organizing Director with Detention Watch Network. “Communities across the country are taking action this week to show that we are a united movement fighting back against the inhumane and unjust treatment of immigrants regardless of who is in the White House. Immigrants are our family members, neighbors, friends, and coworkers – essential to our communities. Detention is inhumane, morally and financially costly, and completely unnecessary. We remain steadfast in our demand to end the use of immigration detention in its entirety,”
Here are some of the events being organized:
Bikes Not Barbed Wire
Where: National Gallery of Art
4th St NW
Washington, DC 20565
When: Friday, December 13
8 – 9:30pm EST
Rally and March for Immigrant Lives
Where: 510 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
When: Wednesday, December 18
2 – 5pm EST
NOT ONE MORE! 🚨 Action to Defend Our Communities from Deportation and Criminalization!
Where: 15 Sudbury St
Boston, MA 02203
When: Friday, December 13
3:30 – 5:30pm EST
Conditions Report Release - Invisible Cruelty
Where: Virtual event
Join from anywhere
Hosted in Decatur, GA 30033
When: Thursday, December 12
4 – 5pm EST
Shut Down the Baker County Detention Facility - Press Conference and Rally
Where: Jacksonville Federal Courthouse
300 N Hogan St
Jacksonville, FL 32202
When: Monday, December 16
9:30 – 11am EST
Human Rights Abuses at Baker Detention Center: Awareness and Advocacy Training
Where: Virtual event
Join from anywhere
When: Tuesday, December 10
7 – 8pm EST
Congress Needs to Know, Immigrant Rights are Human Rights
Where: 2170 S Parker Rd 280
Aurora, CO 80231
When: Monday, December 16
12:30 – 1:30pm MST
31st annual La Posada Sin Fronteras
Where: San Diego
San Diego, CA 92154
When: Saturday, December 14
2 – 4pm PST
International Migrants Day- Defiance, Solidarity, and Preparedness
Where: This event's address is private.
Sign up for more details.
When: Wednesday, December 18
10am – 2pm PST
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.