Council Member Jumaane D. Williams Releases Statement on his Recent Arrest at Immigration Laws Protest

A statement by council member Jumaane Williams:

 

On Monday, May 17th, I joined a distinguished list of immigration and civil rights activists who defied the law of the day and voluntarily courted arrest at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan to press federal officials on immigration reform. It's the first of three actions planned on consecutive Mondays in an act of civil disobedience to remedy an intolerable travesty. As was stated in a press release announcing our action, "Being conscientiously of the opinion that our current immigration laws betray our core principles of democracy, inclusiveness and justice; that they allow for Arizona's immoral and unconstitutional SB1070; and that their continued enforcement through detention and deportation separates families and destroys communities; we are compelled to escalate our call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the face of inaction from our nation's elected representatives. Today we stand in solidarity with the millions who contribute to our communities and economy while being denied full access to them. Our act of civil disobedience is performed with the belief that our laws can-and should-be better, and that our nation's leaders cannot stand on the sidelines as our society's core values are betrayed by a broken and immoral immigration system. We invite the enforcement of the law upon ourselves in the hope that our arrest today will be the catalyst for principled leadership from the President and Congress and for meaningful Comprehensive Immigration Reform that will put an end to the arrests and other mistreatments faced by our friends, families, congregations, and communities."