Thank you, Rabbi Schnall, for the courage you showed in voting in favor of Bill A6310.
The Lakewood community has benefited tremendously from the contributions of migrant workers—individuals who have helped care for our children, maintain our homes, and build our neighborhoods through their work in construction and landscaping. It is critical that our elected representatives refuse to allow these men and women to be demonized or forced to live in fear for themselves and their families.
This bill rightly prohibits arrests based solely on racial profiling. As Jews, we are painfully familiar with the dangers of racial and ethnic bias, and we understand where such practices can lead. Masked law-enforcement actions that tear families apart are fundamentally incompatible with the values of family, dignity, and justice that we claim to uphold.
It is deeply troubling that in today’s America, people can be stopped on the street by ICE officers and compelled to produce identification under threat of detention. We are proud of our country and fully support safe and secure borders—but vilifying human beings or arresting people based on skin color, accent, or appearance is something we cannot and will not accept.
Thank you, Rabbi Schnall, for standing up for what is right and just, and for demonstrating moral leadership when it matters most.
Signed,
A.S.
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