Yvonne Nieves of El Paso, Texas demonstrates in front of the U.S. Border Patrol facility where lawyers reported that detained migrant children were held unbathed and hungry on June 27, 2019 in Clint, Texas. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Jun 27, 2019
A pair of California state lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to divest the state's pension fund from businesses that work with federal immigration detentions facilities.
State Assemblymember Cristina Garcia and state Senator Lena Gonzalez, both Democrats, made the request of Newsom in an open letter Wednesday that cited that day's walkout of employees of online retailer Wayfair in protest of the company's profiting off of child detentions.
"I am asking that we, as a State follow the example of these brave workers and cease vesting in publicly held companies that contract with, or provide services to companies that operate detention centers," the letter reads.
The letter cites conditions at the child prisons. As Common Dreams reported on Thursday, recent reports are showing those conditions are even worse than was previously thought. Customs and Border Protection child prisons were referred to by one expert as "torture facilities" in testimony for a lawsuit seeking an emergency restraining order against the conditions.
In their letter, Garcia and Gonzalez call for California to lead the way to hold accountable those profiting from child detention.
"It is extremely important that California stop funding actions directly or indirectly through investment and state contracts," the pair wrote. "We owe these vulnerable populations more, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we are not contributing to the expansion of the current inhumane treatment of them."
Newsom had not publicly responded to the letter at press time.
Read the letter:
\u201c@GavinNewsom CA should support #WayfairWalkout, divest & end contracts w/companies who do business w/ detention centers holding immigrant children. CA cannot be complicit to horrendous and inhumane acts brought on by the current Adm @CalPERS @CalSTRS @SenGonzalez_33\u201d— Cristina Garcia for Assembly (@Cristina Garcia for Assembly) 1561603644
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A pair of California state lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to divest the state's pension fund from businesses that work with federal immigration detentions facilities.
State Assemblymember Cristina Garcia and state Senator Lena Gonzalez, both Democrats, made the request of Newsom in an open letter Wednesday that cited that day's walkout of employees of online retailer Wayfair in protest of the company's profiting off of child detentions.
"I am asking that we, as a State follow the example of these brave workers and cease vesting in publicly held companies that contract with, or provide services to companies that operate detention centers," the letter reads.
The letter cites conditions at the child prisons. As Common Dreams reported on Thursday, recent reports are showing those conditions are even worse than was previously thought. Customs and Border Protection child prisons were referred to by one expert as "torture facilities" in testimony for a lawsuit seeking an emergency restraining order against the conditions.
In their letter, Garcia and Gonzalez call for California to lead the way to hold accountable those profiting from child detention.
"It is extremely important that California stop funding actions directly or indirectly through investment and state contracts," the pair wrote. "We owe these vulnerable populations more, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we are not contributing to the expansion of the current inhumane treatment of them."
Newsom had not publicly responded to the letter at press time.
Read the letter:
\u201c@GavinNewsom CA should support #WayfairWalkout, divest & end contracts w/companies who do business w/ detention centers holding immigrant children. CA cannot be complicit to horrendous and inhumane acts brought on by the current Adm @CalPERS @CalSTRS @SenGonzalez_33\u201d— Cristina Garcia for Assembly (@Cristina Garcia for Assembly) 1561603644
A pair of California state lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to divest the state's pension fund from businesses that work with federal immigration detentions facilities.
State Assemblymember Cristina Garcia and state Senator Lena Gonzalez, both Democrats, made the request of Newsom in an open letter Wednesday that cited that day's walkout of employees of online retailer Wayfair in protest of the company's profiting off of child detentions.
"I am asking that we, as a State follow the example of these brave workers and cease vesting in publicly held companies that contract with, or provide services to companies that operate detention centers," the letter reads.
The letter cites conditions at the child prisons. As Common Dreams reported on Thursday, recent reports are showing those conditions are even worse than was previously thought. Customs and Border Protection child prisons were referred to by one expert as "torture facilities" in testimony for a lawsuit seeking an emergency restraining order against the conditions.
In their letter, Garcia and Gonzalez call for California to lead the way to hold accountable those profiting from child detention.
"It is extremely important that California stop funding actions directly or indirectly through investment and state contracts," the pair wrote. "We owe these vulnerable populations more, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we are not contributing to the expansion of the current inhumane treatment of them."
Newsom had not publicly responded to the letter at press time.
Read the letter:
\u201c@GavinNewsom CA should support #WayfairWalkout, divest & end contracts w/companies who do business w/ detention centers holding immigrant children. CA cannot be complicit to horrendous and inhumane acts brought on by the current Adm @CalPERS @CalSTRS @SenGonzalez_33\u201d— Cristina Garcia for Assembly (@Cristina Garcia for Assembly) 1561603644
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.