“It was as if they had been snatched off the street, put in a box and they had no idea what would happen next.”

—Senator Jeff Merkley on his visit to Sheridan

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We call on our elected leaders, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stand up for the values of religious freedom and end “zero tolerance” persecution policies.

More than 120 men fleeing imminent danger and persecution in their home countries came to our borders seeking asylum for themselves and their families. They are currently being detained in a federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon. Many of them are Sikhs escaping religious oppression and persecution in India.

“We pray to rather die because we were facing many problems for so many days.”

They languished in our jails for months, deprived of their constitutional right to legal counsel and without access to translators, phones, or adequate medical care. These men are suffering grossly inhumane and treatment at the hands of ICE and the Bureau of Prisons. After surviving treacherous journeys to make it to our borders, many of them were forcibly separated from their wives and children.

Instead of being able to exercise their legal right to seek asylum in the US, they are sitting in prison, confined to small cells for up to 22 hours a day. According to a recent investigative article on CNN, some of the detainees said “they were housed, at times, three people to a 75-square-foot cell, eating in the crammed quarters near an open toilet. Another said they wore the same uniforms for nearly a week.” “We were searched naked in front of everybody.” The Sikh detainees are forced to remove their articles of faith and they are denied their basic religious freedoms.

“We were ridiculed on keeping our religion in mind.”

Use your freedom to stand up for them. By signing this petition, you send a powerful message to US leaders and lawmakers that the mistreatment of these men violates the rights enshrined in our democracy and the values we hold dear as Americans.

Your signature on this petition tells officials they must bring an end to the Trump Administration’s Zero Tolerance Policy on immigration and ensure the following for asylum seekers detained at all federal Correctional Institutions:

• Immediate access to legal services through free phone calls
• Interpreters for the languages they speak
• Free calls to family members
• Increased time outside of their cells
• Access to quality medical care and food
• Immediate access to articles of faith and clergy
• Reunification plan with their families

Providing refuge and asylum to those in need has been a time honored tradition in our nation. It’s a mission so sacred that it is etched in stone at the feet of Lady Liberty. Segregation, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Holocaust, the internet of Japanese Americans and our current zero tolerance immigration policies are all examples of legality over morality. They are examples of irrational fear and nativism. Let us rise above intolerance and send a message to those who continue to incarcerate families seeking shelter. We will fight for the freedom of the men in Sheridan!