Our immigration detention system commits gross human and civil rights violations against children and families everyday. Immigrant solidarity activists have launched the “Dignity not Detention” campaign in response:
From Dignity Not Detention:
This crisis is not limited to the undocumented—long-term green-cardholders with minor offenses, survivors of trafficking and domestic violence, and those fleeing persecution also are detained and deported by the thousands. Over eighty percent of detained immigrants go through the immigration system with no lawyer. Many are denied their fair day in court owing to mandatory and arbitrary detention laws and policies that severely limit judicial discretion in immigration cases. While detained, immigrants face horrific human rights abuses, including mistreatment by guards, solitary confinement, the denial of medical attention and limited or no access to their families, lawyers and the outside world. In many cases, these conditions have proven fatal: since 2003, a reported 107 people have died in immigration custody.
This is simply unacceptable. If we truly value the dignity of human life, we will speak out against this atrocity. If we truly believe that our country is one worth protecting, then we must protect its moral integrity vigorously. We can debate about tax breaks, medical marijuana, or intelligent design. But you cannot deny that millions people are suffering in American detention facilities with insufficient medical care and denied the basic rights to due process under our laws. If we really are “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave,” we will use our freedom and courage to demand that our Department of Homeland Security stops its campaign of immigrant abuse and respect the human and civil rights of all who cross our borders.
Learn the facts about immigration and detention. Read the stories of those affected by US immigration policy. TAKE ACTION to defend the dignity of ALL families!
