Protestors gathered in Newark on Wednesday took aim at a recent federal judge’s decision that said a state law banning migrant detention centers is a “dagger in the heart” of federal immigration enforcement.
“We cannot stab a dagger into the heart of ICE. It has no heart, it’s not a person. The people in ICE’s cages — they can bleed, they can shed tears. That’s who we should be concerned about,” said Kathy O’Leary, director of Pax Christi, a faith-based immigrant advocacy group.
In front of the federal immigration building in Newark, about two dozen activists called for the abolition of migrant detention centers and the immediate closure of the Elizabeth Detention Center, less than 24 hours after U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch issued a key ruling that will allow the center to remain open.