Sacred texts call us to welcome migrants with acts of hospitality, and to free the prisoners.
As people of faith across diverse traditions, we believe we share a common humanity, even with those who have made mistakes; that they too have families, are part of our communities, and are worthy of opportunities for rehabilitation and redemption. Our core values teach us that everyone deserves justice, compassion, human rights and humane treatment, regardless of the color of their skin, their immigration status, or their worst action.
The US has the world’s largest immigration detention system, which is part of the world’s largest prison system. Policies of incarceration and detention harm children, separate families, and dehumanize people each day. We call for approaches that dismantle root causes, promote rehabilitation, increase public accountability and oversight, and heal the breaches in our society.
We campaign to end the punishment framework of the carceral system, and to shift criminal justice dollars towards rehabilitation and public safety based on human needs such as housing, education, healthcare, mental health support and meaningful employment to all. We advocate for policies to protect those targeted by ICE detention, deportation and other anti-immigrant policies.
2021 Campaigns
IM4HI is prioritizing the following for our advocacy work in 2021:
- Federal advocacy for criminal justice and immigration reform that is inclusive, compassionate and corrects past harms.
- State advocacy for decarceration, protection from deportation, & community care.
- Local advocacy for reimagining public safety and community care.
Join our faith advocacy efforts. Sign up here to get involved: http://bit.ly/FaithLeg2021
More About Our 2021 Campaigns
- Implementing AB32: Phase Out Private Prisons and Detention Centers in California
- Ending Life Without Parole in California
- Ending Collaboration Between ICE and CA Prisons and Jails (VISION Act, AB 2596)
- Reimagining Public Safety in Los Angeles
- Communities Not Cages: Close the First Ten Migrant Detention Centers
- Our Vision for Immigration Reform in 2021
- Root Causes of Migration (Honduras Faith Solidarity)
- World Without Walls Coalition
- Individual Freedom Campaigns
Faith Rooted Organizing: Spring 2020 Webinars
In Spring 2020, we hosted a series of webinars on our faith-rooted organizing methodology, and how we apply it to our campaigns:
- January 28 webinar – Banning private prisons in California (AB32 campaign)
- April 24 webinar – Stopping the Collaboration Between ICE and Our Prisons and Jails (VISION Act, AB 2596)
- May 15 webinar – Ending Private Prisons in California (AB 32 Implementation)
- May 29 webinar – Ending “Life Without Parole”
Past Victories
Some of the past victories we achieved, by organizing faith communities, in collaboration with community partners:
- Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative in LA (Measure R) (2020)
- Protecting Sanctuary City Policies (2012-2020)
- Southeast Asian Refugees Pardons (2016-2020)
- Stopping jail expansion at the LA Men’s Jail and Women’s Jail (2019)
- Ending the ICE Contract at West County Detention Facility (2018)
- Stopping building of new Child Detention Facility in Inland Empire (2018)
- Phone justice for inmates and detainees at West Co. Detention Facility (2017)
- CA Truth Act for transparency of Sheriff-ICE collaboration (2017)
- Funding and support for legal resources for newly arrived minors and families and hotline to protect against raids in Alameda and San Francisco counties (2016)
- Implementation of a Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission in Los Angeles (2016)
- CA Trust Act (2014)
- CA Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (2013)
- Stopping jail expansion at West County Detention Facility (2013)