Thanks for joining in the effort to #FreeThemAll from immigration jail. Here's an important update about what's going on and what you can do to help.
The Situation -
The coronavirus is spreading in immigration jails and people inside are detained in close contact with others and have terrible medical care. For months, medical experts have warned of the deadly consequences when people in jails get infected, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) still refuses to release people.
We at the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) recently had a virtual event with lawyers representing detained individuals and policy experts about the dire situation people trapped inside immigration jails are experiencing during the pandemic and the heroic efforts to get people out. Watch the event:
Back in March, people in detention were reporting that many were sick and they didn't have basic things like soap or cleaning supplies (or they were forced to buy them). Recently, two men who were recently released from detention with the help of NIJC, Marco and Ibraheem, courageously shared their stories in a Congressional briefing about the awful and unsafe conditions in immigration jail during COVID-19. Read their stories.
A groundbreaking new report from NIJC, ACLU, and Human Rights Watch details abuses and expansion in the immigration jail system during the Trump administration, finding poor conditions, due process violations, and terrible medical care (even before COVID-19).
The Lawsuits -
NIJC’s team has been fiercely advocating for the release of individuals from immigration jails as quickly as possible so they can be reunited with their families and communities where they can be safe. We've filed ten lawsuits on behalf of immigrants urging their release since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and have advocated with ICE on behalf of dozens more. Our first three lawsuits resulted in the quick release of those individuals.
What You Can Do -
Check out the many ways you can protect immigrant rights, from being a pro bono attorney or volunteer interpreter to contacting your members of Congress.
You can also donate to NIJC's emergency fund to help free people from deadly detention during the coronavirus pandemic so they can reunite with their families and communities.