U.S (Color Of Change) : Free PREGNANT WOMEN and BABIES from CAGES !

 

 

 

 

HAPPENING NOW : Black pregnant women and babies are being locked up and facing horrible conditions at Karnes, Texas family immigration prison. 

 

At the beginning of 2020, Karnes family prison saw a shift in its population to primarily Haitian families and families from multiple African countries including Angola, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.¹ With this influx of new people, ICE lifted its ban against detaining pregnant people and infants less than 1 year of age. The result ? Multiple Black pregnant women and babies were incarcerated just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to surge, and there were multiple confirmed cases at Karnes facility. 

 

Not only were Black mothers and children subjected to increased exposure to COVID-19, but there were also several reports of lacking prenatal and postpartum medical care. From prolonged detention to outright neglect, one 2-month pregnant mother with rheumatism was found unresponsive in her room. Another mother suffered a miscarriage in DHS custody but was never provided the proper follow-up medical care.² A 6-month pregnant mother who reported abdominal pain, vertigo, and back pain, and difficulty eating was threatened for voicing her medical needs. And these are only a few of the reported cases.³ 

  

That’s why in partnership with Raices, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Cameroon American Council, and UndocuBlack we’re calling on the Biden Administration to take action NOW for Black pregnant women and babies. 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE PREGNANT WOMEN & BABIES FROM CAGES

 

 

 

 

 

It’s no secret that Black women in America bear the brunt of racialized incarceration and violence against their reproductive autonomy. And now we’re seeing how Black immigrant and migrant women are also subject to this abuse. The immigration detention system separates mothers from their families, denying them the ability to parent, mistreats pregnant people, and denies access to abortion and other reproductive health care which interferes with the rights of detained people to control their reproductive lives.⁴ ICE detention centers are a barrier to reproductive justice, and disproportionately impact Black women, women of color, women with disabilities, low-income women, transgender women, and young women and girls.⁵ 

 

The human rights violations taking place inside the Karnes family prison are not new nor are these violations unprecedented. Last year, we saw similar reports of medicalized racism and negligence at Irwin Detention Center in Georgia. The news went viral after multiple reports of mass forced sterilizations were uncovered.⁶ Black women were forced to undergo medically unnecessary procedures in the middle of a global pandemic. And ICE officials attempted to hide potential truths from out in that investigation, including by retaliating against people who spoke out against the atrocities happening at this facility. This is a pattern. We must act now to put a stop to it.

 

 

 

Sign the petition: Tell Biden to act NOW on behalf of the Black pregnant women & babies in Karnes detention center.

 

 

 

 The Biden Administration has the power to do the following :  

1. Stop the ICE practice of detaining pregnant individuals.
2. Stop the ICE practice of detaining infants.
3. Release anyone who is detained and pregnant. Release infants. Release families together. 
4. Stop ICE retaliation against the Black immigrants who speak out about their conditions. Release them from detention.
5. Provide protections for Black immigrants who are released from detention, including the Cameroonian protestors and the women who spoke up at the Irwin detention center.

 

Dear friend, the stories, and lives of Black immigrants matter. We can’t afford to stay silent while they suffer in detention centers like Karnes family prison.  

 

 

 

Call on the Biden Administration to act NOW. We must demand real change for Black immigrants. 

 

 

 

Until justice is real,

 

 

 

 

Erika, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Malachi, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Madison, Ariel, Trevor, Ana, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team.

 

 

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References :

 

 

 

 

1. "Demand President Joe Biden Take Action for Black Women & Babies in Detention". Raices The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/298760?emci=&emdi=&t=7&akid=50871%2E1942551%2E5ZHjYN
2. Ibid. 
3. Ibid.
4. "Immigration Detention Is Dangerous for Women’s Health and Rights." Center for American Progress.
   https://act.colorofchange.org/go/298761?t=9&akid=50871%2E1942551%2E5ZHjYN
5. Ibid. 
6. " 'A Silent Pandemic' : Racism, Negligence, and Medical Assault in ICE Detention Centers." CEPR. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/298762?t=11&akid=50871%2E1942551%2E5ZHjYN

  

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ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change.