Jewish ICE Detainee May Not Be Getting Kosher Food, Congresswoman Says

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent prepares to arrest alleged immigration violators. Image by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

By Josefin Dolsten April 16, 2019

NEW YORK (JTA) — A Jewish man being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York state has complained of receiving meals that are not strictly kosher, according to Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.

In a statement Tuesday, Velazquez said that the law enforcement agency “has a troubling pattern of ignoring important religious considerations for those of many different faiths who are in their custody.”

A day earlier, Velazquez sent a letter to ICE in which she said that Dovid Kohn, who is being detained upstate had complained that his food is not being prepared according to Jewish dietary laws.

“Mr. Kohn has expressed grievances over the preparation process employed by the facility when unwrapping products from their factory-sealed packaging,” Velazquez wrote. “In addition, there are concerns over the use of non-kosher trays to serve meals.”

In her letter, Velazquez emphasized that “Such integrity is critically important, especially since the Passover holiday is quickly approaching.”

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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