O P I N I O N
To the Editor:
We, the three town of Merrimack Democratic NH State Representatives strongly oppose any proposal to build so-called “human warehouses” in our community to detain immigrants. These facilities are not benign infrastructure projects, they are detention centers designed to incarcerate people whose only “crime” is seeking safety, work, or a better life.
Across the country, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has repeatedly been documented violating the law and basic standards of human decency. These violations include unlawful detentions, denial of due process, family separations, medical neglect, retaliation against detainees who speak out, and abuse that has resulted in serious injury and death. Federal courts, inspectors general, and independent watchdogs have all raised alarms about systemic failures within ICE detention operations.
Building a detention facility in Merrimack would make our town complicit in cruelty and human rights abuses. These facilities operate by warehousing human beings, often for months or years, under harsh conditions that dehumanize and traumatize adults and children alike. Detention has been shown to cause lasting psychological harm, particularly to asylum seekers and survivors of violence. No community that values dignity, fairness, and the rule of law should accept this.
Merrimack is a town built on community, compassion, and respect for our neighbors. We believe in upholding human rights and following the law, not profiting from suffering or normalizing abuse behind barbed wire and locked doors. Our local resources should be invested in housing, healthcare, education, and public safety, not in expanding a detention system that has proven time and again to be cruel, ineffective, and unlawful.
We call on local and state officials to reject any proposal to site immigrant detention facilities in Merrimack and to instead support humane, community-based alternatives that respect due process and human dignity. Our town should stand on the right side of history, against cruelty, against lawlessness, and for human rights.
Signed:
- Rep. Nancy Murphy
- Rep. Rosemarie Rung
- Rep. Wendy Thomas