Immigrants in the U.S. are detained in a secretive web of 350 private, federal, state and local jails and prisons, at an annual cost of $1.7 billion to taxpayers. Over 80% of detained immigrants go through the immigration system with no lawyer. Many are denied their fair day in court owing to mandatory and arbitrary detention laws and policies that severely limit judicial discretion. While detained, immigrants face horrific conditions of confinement, including mistreatment by guards, solitary confinement, the denial of medical attention and limited or no access to their families, lawyers and the outside world. Last year ICE announced plans to reform the immigration detention system, yet to date, there is little evidence of change.
Join Detention Watch Network as we launch our National Campaign Dignity, Not Detention: Preserving Human Rights and Restoring Justice which calls for an end to detention expansion nationally. Our demands:
We are demanding that President Obama take immediate action to
prevent human rights abuses in detention centers.
We are demanding that Congress restore due process to the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws and guarantee that every person has the right to a fair day in court.
We are demanding that the U.S. government put an end to the arbitrary detention of more than 300,000 people and start using cost-saving alternatives.
The campaign will include local site fights against detention expansion in Arizona, Georgia and Texas that underscore the impact of national detention policy on local communities. For more information, visit http://www.dignitynotdetention.org
On Feb. 25th, coordinated actions in support of the national campaign are taking place in cities across the country in cities including Gainesville (GA), Phoenix, San Antonio, New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles.
In Texas:
Bob Libal, Grassroots Leadership/TUFF
512-971-0487, blibal@grassrootsleadership.org
**Texas Event on Facebook: http://bit.ly/a9tp9M **
Location: San Antonio ICE Headquarters
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