Detention
Biden Administration Fights to Keep Private Immigration Jails Open, Despite Promises
“There should be no private prisons, period, none, period. And we are working to close all of them.” Those are the words of President Joe Biden in April 2021, when he was called out by immigrant rights activists at a rally celebrating his 100th day in office. This was… Read More
Biden Keeps Ties with Billion-Dollar Business of Immigration Detention, Despite Reports of Serious Abuse
On Thanksgiving Day 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested Kamyar Samimi—a lawful permanent resident with a decade-old conviction for drug possession—and sent him to the privately run ICE Processing Center in Aurora, Colorado. Two weeks later, he was dead. Facility staff had forced him to stop methadone… Read More
Stays in CBP Custody Are Getting Longer Due to ‘Phone Booth Asylum’ Policy
“I never thought I’d say there’s anything worse than ICE custody, but this is it.” That’s an immigration attorney in San Diego talking to CNN about the shelter facilities run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These shelters near the border are not designed to house people for… Read More
New Complaint Shows ICE’s Use of Solitary Confinement Is Excessive
“If I spoke too loudly, solitary. If I climbed on top of a table to get a guard’s attention, solitary. If I had suicidal thoughts, solitary. When the guards would tease me about being deported back to my home country and make airplane sounds at me and gesture like a… Read More
Florida Wants All New Migrants Arriving at the Border Locked Up. The Courts are Helping.
Florida officials think the federal government must detain everyone – or virtually everyone – who arrives at the U.S.-Mexico border without a visa. And it is using the courts to try to make that happen. Just last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit refused to… Read More
Internal Investigation Shows Appalling Carelessness from Border Patrol Led to Death of 8-Year-Old
An internal investigation into the death of a medically vulnerable eight-year-old girl after over a week in Border Patrol custody continues to reveal shocking negligence on the part of medical contractors and Border Patrol employees. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the May 17 death of Anadith Danay Reyes Alvarez,… Read More
ICE Is Shifting Bond Payments to an Electronic System
Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the launch of CeBONDS, a new system people can use to pay bonds and secure the release of individuals in immigration detention. The new system allows people paying the bond—referred to as obligors—to go through most of the process online… Read More
A Closer Look at Deaths in ICE Detention Facilities
On April 6, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the death of 61 year-old Salvador Vargas at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA which occurred on April 4. Deaths in ICE custody are far too common, and particularly devastating in detention centers with a… Read More
States Lead the Way in Banning Immigration Detention Centers
State governments are leading the way on eliminating a blemish from their communities—immigration detention centers. As some state governments begin their legislative sessions, bills attempting to ban certain immigration detention centers have been introduced in multiple states. Following the lead of states like New Jersey and Illinois, New… Read More
6 Firsthand Stories That Reveal the Problem with Family Detention
Written by Atenas Burrola, Pro Bono Manager and Crystal Massey, National Pro Bono Coordinator for the Afghan Project at the American Immigration Council The Biden administration is reportedly considering reopening family detention. This is horrific news—news that left us in tears. Between the two of us, we dedicated countless… Read More
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