Campaign Goal: Increase pressure on the U.S. Government to improve treatment of immigrants by reducing funding for ICE and DHS.
Tactic: Boycott key banks profiting from private prisons and an unjust immigration system
Core Affected Community Partners: Enlace (immigrant workers) and NAKASEC [1](Korean immigrants)
Rationale: Many of us have worked tirelessly contacting our congresspersons, setting up meetings, signing petitions, writing articles, sharing stories of affected communities, setting up press conferences, offering vigil, demonstrating, etc. Yet, we see how President Trump has increased harm to our immigrant sisters and brothers, even to the point of violating sensitive areas and detaining sponsors of unaccompanied children. We know this is only going to get much worse. It may be wise to complement our efforts with tactics that diminish key pillars of support for the injustice and disrupt the system from functioning. Our faith values call us to be wise, bold, and courageous.
Boycott Commitment: Participation in a boycott of Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and JP Morgan Chase which are three of the main funders and profiteers of private prisons, such as GEO and CoreCivic. In turn, these banks directly enable the detention of immigrants and families as well as an expanding market for such private prisons and detentions. Thus, they are profiting from the rapid increase in detention of immigrants. These banks are also three of the largest banks making direct contributions to key politicians, and some politicians even hold shares in these banks.
We will continue this boycott at least until President Trump and Congress reduce funding for ICE and DHS. If there is not such a commitment by December 31, 2018, we will scale-up and broaden our boycott efforts.
How: Organizations and Individuals can participate in the boycott by doing any one of the following: 1) sharing it with other individuals or your members as an option; or 2) explicitly sign on to the boycott as a good idea, or 3) encouraging individuals or sub-groups within your organization or membership to endorse the boycott; or 4) encourage other organizations, especially those you may be a constituent of (ex. county, city), to endorse the boycott; 5) moving any accounts (ex. savings, checking, health savings, CD’s, credit cards, etc.) from these banks to another bank, or 6) as a shareholder sending a letter to these banks, or 7) divesting any investments in these banks.
[1] http://www.enlaceintl.org/resources
Join the campaign here
Interfaith Bank Boycott Campaign
*This includes core affected community partners, rationale, and other suggested banks to move your money to.
Interfaith Boycott Background Info.
*This includes an explanation of how the leveraging works, the profit process, dimensions of effectiveness in campaigns, and other educational resources.
Send this sample letter to any of the banks and executives on this list to inform them about the boycott and ask them to use their leverage to pass the Dream Act.
- Brian T. Moynihan, Chief Executive Officer
Bank of America Corporation
100 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28255 Brian.t.moynihan@bankofamerica.com - Timothy Sloan, Chief Executive Officer and President Wells Fargo
420 Montgomery St.
San Francisco, CA 94104
timothy.j.sloan@wellsfargo.com boardcommunications@wellsfargo.com - Jamie Dimon Chairman & Ceo
JP Morgan Chase
270 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10005
212-270-1111
jamie.dimon@jpmchase.com
- Brian T. Moynihan, Chief Executive Officer