It’s time to finish the job and close for-profit facilities locking up immigrants and asylum-seekers.
Dear friend,
This week, we have a MAJOR opportunity to pressure newly confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to free the thousands of people and families unjustly held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention :
Just a few weeks ago, President Biden ordered the Department of Justice to stop using private prisons – but that order DOES NOT apply to the Department of Homeland Security, which still uses privately run facilities to detain asylum-seekers and immigrants.
End For-Profit Detention
Friend, the vast majority of asylum-seekers and immigrants under ICE custody are held in immigration detention facilities owned or managed by private prison corporations. These companies care about one thing only – making money. The for-profit detention facilities have a well documented record of harsh conditions and negligent care, and lack of accountability.
And no matter who runs the facility, no one should be unjustly detained. Instead of detention, the norm should be that asylum-seekers and immigrants are allowed to live in the community, supported by sponsors, community-based services, and case management programs. These are proven, compassionate alternatives that are humane, support dignity, and facilitate compliance. They also save considerable government resources.
The Biden administration has already signaled that it understands private prisons shouldn’t be used for government incarceration – now, it’s time to ensure they extend that policy to asylum-seekers and immigrants in ICE custody in privately run facilities, too.
End For-Profit Detention
If enough of us speak out now, we CAN win – Secretary Mayorkas is 23 days into his role, and President Biden is turning to Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security for their leadership.
But we need to make noise – and quickly. Each day that passes, thousands of people are held in violation of their human rights, and at severe risk of COVID-19 and other dangerous complications.
Thanks for everything you do,
Denise Bell
Researcher, Refugee and Migrant Rights
Amnesty International USA
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