1,000 signatures reached
To: Field Office Director, Chris Cronen; Assistant Field Office Director, Todd Thurlow; Acting Assistant Field Office Director, Yolanda Marfissi
Keep Marco Antonio Reyes Home!
Marco Antonio Reyes Alvarez presently resides in Meriden, Connecticut with his wife and three children. Immigrating from Ecuador, he and his family have been living in the United States since 1997. In 2007, while vacationing with his family, Marco was apprehended by ICE, simply for trying to reenter the United States after accidentally crossing into Canada. Marco has been granted Stays of Removal from ICE since 2016 but was senselessly denied in June. He has since been under state supervision, wearing an ankle bracelet that monitors his every movement. Marco has worked hard to support his family, help establish his children’s futures, and build a peaceful life in the United States. Marco is active in his community and is a member of CCRN (Comunidad Cristiana de Restauración a las Naciones) and Unidad Latina en Acción. Neither he nor any of our community members deserve such inhumane treatment.
We condemn a system that separates families without remorse. Marco and his family have lived among every other American for the last twenty years. It is cruel and unusual punishment to tear apart this and all the other families, when the only infraction Marco and many more like him have committed was to believe that America would offer them a Safe Haven.
We urge ICE to grant this father of three a stay. We urge at elected officials to stand for what is morally right and help us keep Marco home, where he belongs."
We condemn a system that separates families without remorse. Marco and his family have lived among every other American for the last twenty years. It is cruel and unusual punishment to tear apart this and all the other families, when the only infraction Marco and many more like him have committed was to believe that America would offer them a Safe Haven.
We urge ICE to grant this father of three a stay. We urge at elected officials to stand for what is morally right and help us keep Marco home, where he belongs."
Why is this important?
Marco’s case represents the unhinged nature of ICE’s exploits, particularly under a racist and xenophobic president. Donald Trump drew on a false narrative of ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ immigrants to galvanize his base and garner greater public support. However, his expansion of the deportation dragnet demonstrates his intent to indiscriminately detain and deport immigrants. In response to this escalating injustice, we as a community must recognize and elevate the humanity and dignity of all people, regardless of any criminal history or aspect of identity. Without a holistic and inclusive movement, we will ultimately lose our struggle to cultivate peaceful communities.