May 24, 2011
By Helen Harnett
Today the House Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement held a hearing on proposed legislation that would radically expand the government’s power to indefinitely detain immigrants. The legislation, the “Keep Our Communities Safe Act of 2011” (H.R. 1932), introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith (TX-21), would conflict with the United States’ international human rights obligations, would harm vulnerable immigrants including asylum seekers, and would unnecessarily waste government resources.
NIJC submitted a statement to the subcommittee, urging them to reject this harmful legislation. Our statement highlighted NIJC client stories that demonstrate the human and financial cost of the United States’ already overburdened detention system.