A permanent ceasefire can be the first step towards peace and stability
(San Francisco) - The mission of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is to work with and educate immigrants, community organizations, and the legal sector to continue to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. We do so by helping build the legal capacity of those working on immigration law and immigrant rights. We advance the rights of immigrants in the United States by abolishing the violent practices behind militarized borders, inhumane detention, and racialized enforcement. Through this lens, we understand the interconnectedness that exists within systems of oppression worldwide.
The Board and Staff of the ILRC are heartbroken from the world events that leave so many people suffering from the effects of war, devastation, and political unrest. Across the globe, the population of many countries have suffered and continue to suffer in this way. The ILRC has worked to support those who need to seek refuge in the United States. This calls for us to respond to the most recent rise of violence in Israel and Palestine, which follows decades of Israeli control that has subjected Palestinians to unjust surveillance, humiliation at checkpoints, expulsion from their homes, imprisonment, torture, and summary executions.
The violence we are witnessing now in Israel and Palestine escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas entered Israel, killing nearly 1200 Israelis and foreign nationals, most of whom were civilians. They also took over 250 hostages, many of whom have since been killed. We condemn Hamas for these actions, and call for the safe return of 116 hostages still held by Hamas. We categorically oppose the targeting of civilians.
In response, the Israeli government has unleashed a horrific level of violence against the civilian population of Gaza, and increasingly against Palestinians in the West Bank. The Israeli government’s aggression since the Hamas attack has cost over 40,000 Palestinian lives according to official Gaza Health Ministry records, epistemological researcher Rasha Khatib estimates the number could be up to 186,000 given diseases that spread during war and displacement, especially with the destabilization of healthcare facilities in the region. Of the official numbers, the great majority were civilians, including nearly 16,314 children, while approximately 17,000 are considered unaccompanied and have been separated from their relatives. Israeli military attacks have displaced over two million people and have destroyed infrastructure, especially sources of water, food, housing, and medical care, while at the same time blocking such aid from coming into the country. This has resulted in further unnecessary civilian death by starvation and lack of care.
The collateral of war not only takes the lives of individuals, but significantly impairs the lives of its survivors. We are appalled by the sexual violence that has been imposed on people–disproportionately women and girls–caught in the crossfire of this war.
The unimaginable atrocities ongoing in Palestine have direct connections to our immigrant and racial justice work at ILRC. For example, Israel and the U.S. have been sharing repressive enforcement and border surveillance technologies for years. The crossroads to our work also play out in domestic policy, for example this year the Biden administration supported a funding package that linked military funding for Israel and Ukraine with gutting asylum access and expanding deportations.. While the administration has extended Deferred Enforced Departure for Palestinians, this is only a temporary relief to the ongoing escalation. Understanding these connections sharpens our analysis of such root causes of violence and illuminates the path forward for immigrant and racial justice.
The war takes its toll in our own country in other ways. In the United States, we see and condemn the sharp increase in anti-Semitism, anti-Arab sentiments, and Islamophobia. In our work supporting immigrants and refugees, we have witnessed first-hand the dangers of dehumanizing narratives that justify the destruction of human life.
The U.S. government continues to provide $3.8 billion annually in military aid to the Israeli government. The Biden administration has said it would impose “no red lines” on the Israeli military. The Administration has condemned Hamas, but has refused to wholesale condemn the Israeli government’s murder and starvation of a civilian population. This is shocking and wrong.
We call on our U.S. public officials to take the following actions:
- Public officials must call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid and services and immediate restoration of water, food, fuel, electricity, shelter, medical care, telecommunication, and internet access; the immediate return of all hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th; and an end to the inhumane detention practices by the Israeli government.
- Congress must reject funding requests that further enable mass killing, devastation, and starvation of the people of Gaza.
- The U.S. government must cease its support for the Israeli government’s occupation and systematic dispossession of Palestinians. Our government must use its full leverage to seek a workable plan that recognizes the needs, rights, and security of both Palestinians and Israelis.
- Public officials must protect freedom of expression for all, including not penalizing immigrant students and others who are being civically active around this issue.
- Public officials and all of us must strongly condemn attempts to dehumanize Palestinians, Arab communities, practice anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, or support attacks against any civilian population.
We believe that a permanent ceasefire can be the first step towards peace and stability in the region. As a national leader in immigration advocacy, our hearts go out to all those who are caught in the conflict and longing for safety and home.
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC works to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. Follow us at www.ilrc.org, and on Twitter and Instagram @the_ILRC