Immigration Detention: Perspectives from Washington, D.C. and from the field

Transcription

1 Immigration Detention: Perspectives from Washington, D.C. and from the field November 15, 2013

2 Our Presenters Ashley Feasley, Migration Policy Advisor, USCCB Christina Fialho, attorney, co-executive director of Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC) Sister JoAnn Persch, Sister of Mercy, Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants 2

3 Immigrant Detention in the United States: An Overview Immigrant Detention By the Numbers: The Financial and Human Cost What is the Bed Mandate? Why Is There So Much Immigrant Detention? Remedies: Looking Forward- Alternatives to Detention What Can We Do to Combat? Next Steps 3

4 Immigrant Detention by the 34,000 beds 2 million deportations 400,000+ people $2 billion 132 lives Numbers 4

5 What is the Bed Mandate? Congressional appropriations language covering the DHS ICE detention budget Has been interpreted as a requirement to maintain and fill 34,000 beds on average daily Arbitrary number Is not remedied through CIR legislation 5

6 What Would Happen if Bed Mandate No Longer Existed Would Not Eliminate Immigrant Detention or the Right of the Government to Detain Dangerous Immigrants Increase Flexibility of DHS Resources Would Create Substantial Savings to the American Taxpayer 6

7 How Did We Get To This Point? 2007 Year Bed Mandate was introduced 28,000 beds- original bed mandate 31,800 number that was requested for by Obama administration Rise of the Militarization of the Border CCA and GEO Corp. 7

8 Remedies: Alternatives to Detention What is an Alternative to Detention? Why is this preferrable to detention? USCCB s Community Support Pilot Program 8

9 What Can You Do? Solutions at the Federal Level Contact your Representative and Senator and ask them to abolish the current 34,000 bed mandate Raise awareness in your local communities about the cost to fellow taxpayers for immigrant detention annually Make the issue of immigrant detention reform a priority issue that future political candidates must address/state their opinions on 9

10 What is Immigration Detention? 10

11 Detention (continued) People disappear into immigration detention. Families suffer. 11

12 What is CIVIC? 12

13 Visitation 13

14 Issues We Face as Visitors No Right to Visitation Gaining Access Maintaining Access Advocating for others without getting shut down 14

15 Gaining Access Years of Advocacy First visitation program in Illinois First visitation program in California Changing ICE s Perspective ICE s Tour Directive ICE s February 2013 Newsletter Strength of visitation program (29 programs in 15 states!) 15

16 Maintaining Access Balancing our responsibility to people in detention with our desire to continue visiting Ana s Story 16

17 The Shutdown Immigration Visitors Blocked at Detention Centers S.F. Chronicle U.S. Suspends Visitation Programs at 3 immigrant facilities in the Southland L.A.Times 17

18 Volunteers Keep Watch & Ease Isolation With our members, we are thinking creatively about how to work within a governmental system that is broken and in need of civilian participation and review to reform it. CIVIC s 2014 Annual Conference 18

19 Pen Pal Program 19

20 Pro Bono Hotline Advocates 20

21 Court Watchers 21

22 Inspection Tours Learn more: urces/for-visitors/ 22

23 Individual Advocacy Affidavits of Support for bond hearings Help in gathering supporting documents for immigration case Driving family members to visit their loved ones Community Campaigns for Release Online & In Person Asking ICE to use their discretion Post-deportation Support 23

24 Visitors, Advocates, Friends 24

25 Getting Voices Out 1) Angel Island Project 2) f 25

26 Join Us! Become a Visitor Volunteer, Pen Pal, or Hotline Advocate Get Your Church Involved in Starting a Visitation Program or Taking a Tour Share What You Have Learned Today

27 Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" - Emma Lazarus 27

28 Standing in Solidarity 28

29 Sisters and Brothers Until you look into the eyes of every man and woman and see your sister or brother, it is night. Who is weeping for these sisters and brothers? Pope Francis at Lampedusa, Sicily 29

30 Broadview ICE Staging Center Family ministry outside Ministry to families and deportees inside Prayer vigil Praying on the buses 30

31 Court Watch Lawyers thank us. Families are comforted by us. Law students are educated by us. 31

32 McHenry County Jail Passage of the bill Volunteer teams Structure of program 32

33 Post-Detention Accompaniment Long-term Accompaniment Short-term Accompaniment Staffing Housing Network -- PDAN 33

34 Last Free Friday Webinar State & Local Immigration Laws: Recap 2013 and 2014 Outlook Nov. 22, 2-3:30 pm EST For more information from CLINIC, including other webinars and training opportunities, click on the envelope on the top of CLINIC s webpage 34

35 Questions? Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants S. Central Park Ave. Chicago, IL ext

36 Questions? 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC Georgia Ave., Suite 850 Silver Spring, MD twitter.com/cliniclegal 36 facebook.com/cliniclegal