To Our Leadership Team: We, the undersigned, are writing to you from a place of concern and anger about the atrocities being committed at our Southern border. The United States government and its contractors
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are responsible for the detention and mistreatment of hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in our country -- we want that to end.
We also want to be sure that Wayfair has no part in enabling, supporting, or profiting from this practice.
Over the last two days it has come to our attention that Wayfair has again engaged in B2B
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sales with BCFS
, a non-profit government contractor managing camps for migrants at our Southern border. This particular order, for over $200,000 worth of bedroom furniture, is destined for Carrizo Springs, TX, to a facility that will be outfitted to detain up to 3,000 migrant children seeking legal asylum in the United States. The practice of detaining children and adults at our Southern border has been condemned since its inception but since the acceleration of the practice in 2018, and the increase in death and injury that has come with that acceleration, we have seen more vocal condemnation of the practice. In particular, the UN stated that
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Detention is never in the best interests of the child and always constitutes a child rights violation.”
We believe that by selling these (or any) products to BCFS or similar contractors we are enabling this violation and are complicit in furthering the inhumane actions of our government.
In a recent Executive AMA with Margaret Lawrence the question of whether or not we have a code of business ethics for B2B sales was raised. Margaret answered, “It is our hope that we hire ethical, empathetic, and savvy team members whose judgment we trust in building our business partnerships. If you know of a specific business, please connect with me offline so we can properly investigate.”
We believe that the current actions of the United States and their contractors at the Southern border do not represent an ethical business partnership Wayfair should choose to be a part of.
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Migrant Children Describe Neglect at Border
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Human Rights Watch Reports Children at Risk at Border
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US Government Cuts Budget for Legal Services and Education for Undocumented Minors
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Senator Warren Letter on Deaths at the Border
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Previously, in September 2018, we outfitted a BCFS camp in Tornillo, TX which housed over 2500 minors and operated from June 2018-January 2019 and was cited numerous times for violations, including not properly background checking their employees. Concerns about this were this were surfaced to leadership but no action was taken.
With all of the aforementioned in mind we come to you, as employees and shareholders, with two asks:
●Cease all current and future business with BCFS and other contractors participating in the operation of migrant detention camps at our Southern border (or any other location). ●Establish a code of ethics for B2B Sales that empowers Wayfair and its employees to act in accordance with our core values. These two steps will serve as a clear and concise statement that Wayfair is a company that values the health and safety of all people and that we are a company that all of our employees and shareholders should be proud to be a part of. We recognize that decisions like this do not come lightly and welcome the opportunity to partner with leadership on a solution that reflects the integrity and values of all Wayfairians. At Wayfair, we believe that “everyone should live in a home that they love.” Let’s stay true to that message by taking a stand against the reprehensible practice of separating families, which denies them any home at all. Sincerely, To Sign, Please fill out this form