Whereas, Veterans For Peace (VFP) stands firmly against racism, fascism, and the criminalization of marginalized communities;
Whereas, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has become the largest federal police force in the country, far surpassing even the FBI and DEA in funding and scope, and operating with increasing secrecy, brutality, and impunity;
Whereas, ICE has conducted workplace raids, detained asylum seekers at courthouses, abducted community members without warrants, and separated families in tactics reminiscent of the worst authoritarian regimes;
Whereas, for-profit detention centers, immigrant jails, and mass deportation pipelines enrich private corporations while denying due process, dignity, and basic human rights;
Whereas, this militarized immigration regime disproportionately targets non-white communities, and is designed not for “law enforcement,” but for political repression and racial terror;
Whereas, we recognize chilling historical parallels to past atrocities, including the state-sanctioned dehumanization, rounding up, and warehousing of entire communities;
Whereas, VFP has long advocated for deported veterans—those who served in the U.S. military and were later banished from the country they defended, denied access to earned VA benefits and basic justice;
Therefore, be it resolved that Veterans For Peace condemns in the strongest terms the expansion and actions of ICE, and affirms our solidarity with immigrant communities, workers, and all those resisting this machinery of violence;
Be it further resolved that VFP calls on our members to support nonviolent resistance to these abuses—through sanctuary efforts, court support, civil disobedience, and public education;
And finally, be it resolved that we commit to opposing the construction and funding of for-profit immigrant prisons, and demand a demilitarized, humane, and just immigration system rooted in human rights and solidarity—not fear.
Submitted by: Joshua Shurley, Paul Cox, and Stephen Zollman (VFP Resolutions Committee).
Endorsed by: VFP Board of Directors.