Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week we are signing a petition to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking that he shut down cruel and unjustifiable ICE detention sites now.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention has become known for abuse, pervasive medical neglect, and complete disregard for the dignity of people in its custody. Last year alone, reports emerged of increased use of force, solitary confinement, patterns of sexual abuse, forced sterilization, unprecedented fatality rates, and an utter failure to protect people from COVID-19 – and it is all paid for with more than three billion dollars of taxpayers’ money a year.

The atrocities exposed under Trump are only the most recent and egregious manifestations of a fundamentally cruel, inhumane, and – as lower detention rates during COVID-19 have shown us – clearly unnecessary system. But the Biden administration has a unique chance to shrink the architecture of immigrant detention and help repair the harm it’s caused. It can start with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutting down key detention facilities as soon as possible: Take action by sending this message to DHS today.

Reminder: If you are a registered voter in Pasadena, please sign an initiative petition to address rental housing issues. It will put an amendment to the City Charter on the ballot in March of 2022 that would provide for rent control, create a rental housing board and establish criteria for just cause evictions. This Sunday, August 15^th, All Saints will have a table outside the church where you will be able to sign this initiative petition. If you will not be attending church, please sign a petition if presented with the opportunity to do so out in the community.

Reminder: Please vote in the upcoming September 14 Recall Election. If you are a registered voter you should have, or shortly will, receive a Mail In Ballot. You can fill it in and mail it back now through September 14. It must be postmarked no later than September 14. You can also return it to a Vote by Mail Drop Box or a Voting Center when they open up 10 days before the election. If you are not registered to vote, you can do so on line now or at a Voting Center when they open September 4. Go on line at LAVote.net for all information regarding voting.