Citing the potential loss of tax revenue and the likelihood of increased law enforcement costs, the Merrimack Town Council has sent a letter to Secretary Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Security, Governor Ayotte, and the New Hampshire’s federal delegation, expressing their opposition to locating an “ICE Processing Center” in their town. For more information read reporting from NHPR and InDepthNH.

We must support Merrimack in their opposition to this federal encroachment on local control. We must also make clear that human warehouses – human processing centers- can never be welcome in the “live free or die” Granite State.

Important update from our friends at AFSC NH:
Last week, our Members of Congress, led by Congressman Pappas, called on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to respond to town leaders in Merrimack who are trying to stop construction of an ICE detention center. Read their letter here. And read more here.

We must keep the pressure on for real reforms to ICE and Homeland Security.

Senators Hassan and Shaheen joined their Democratic colleagues to slow down approval of funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to negotiate some reforms in response to recent killings by ICE agents and the ongoing chaos in Minneapolis, Portland, and other cities. (Read more here.) While we’re glad to see our elected officials respond to the campaign of terror against immigrant communities, we’re very worried that Democrats will squander the leverage they now have by settling for token ‘reforms’ that are already required by current law, rather than demanding real protections for immigrant communities. Read more here, and please keep up the phone calls.

ACTION

Ask your officials to work to stop ICE and the Trump administration from harming immigrant communities and terrorizing people across New Hampshire.

Contact Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s Office (603-271-2121 or GovernorAyotte@governor.nh.gov) urging her to oppose the proposed Merrimack facility or any other effort by ICE to warehouse human beings in New Hampshire.

Click here to send a message to your U.S. senator and representative.