Essex County Activist Pushes For Immigration Reform In D.C. – Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Patience Okhuofu wants New Jersey residents to remember one thing when it comes to immigrants seeking refuge in the Garden State: “They are good people.”

Okhuofu, an Essex County resident and a leader with advocacy group Faith in New Jersey (FINJ), was among 300 activists who recently marched to the White House in Washington D.C. to demand expanded voting rights and “an end to the criminalization of migration.”

The faith leaders pushed for federal and state immigration reform like the Values Act, which if passed, will allow New Jerseyans to seek routine protection and support from state and local agencies without fear of flagging federal immigration agencies and risking deportation – an issue that disproportionately affects Black immigrants, they said.

To Okhuofu, a Nigerian American and U.S. Army veteran, it’s a matter of dignity.

“I am the face of all African immigrants in my community – in my state – and that is why I’m here, so that you see my face and see the faces of all African immigrants that are so afraid that they can’t go home,” Okhuofu said during the March 2 rally.

“They are good people … they are contributing to the society in one way or the other … but then their hands are tied because they can’t do certain things and don’t have the liberty,” Okhuofu said.

Okhuofu said she’s witnessed the pain and suffering faced in her African community firsthand.

“I have seen a grown man cry because he is torn between providing basic necessities – food and shelter for his children – or putting the money towards the exorbitant fees required to have a green card,” Okhuofu told attendees at the rally.

“The system is designed to frustrate well-meaning immigrants from treading the path of citizenship,” she continued. “Our brothers and sisters cannot sleep peacefully because fear of deportation, walk the streets with hearts pounding in fear. This is not right. Nobody deserves to live like this.”

Okhuofu and the other faith leaders involved in the march also said federal and state policies are restricting their voting rights.

“The Voting Rights Bill, after not getting passed by Congress earlier this year, is still on FINJ’s agenda, especially after New Jersey’s recent vote on the new legislative map, which falls short of accurately representing people of color that they advocated for last month as a member of the Fair Districts New Jersey Coalition,” spokespeople with the group said.

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