Pressroom

In response to Ravi Ragbir, longtime immigrant rights activist, receiving a presidential pardon, Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network, released the following statement: “Biden’s pardon of Ravi Ragbir is a bright spot in what has been a long and arduous road for freedom and safety. Ravi has been a longtime friend, teacher, and supporter of Detention Watch Network. He brings people together – whether over a meal, in a place of worship, or chanting on the streets, Ravi exemplifies how immigrants are deeply embedded within communities. Ravi’s pardon demonstrates that when we…

Washington D.C — This week, the newly inaugurated U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that, among other things, would massively expand mandatory detention requirements for immigrants who have been convicted, charged, or merely arrested for certain theft offenses. The bill also gives states broad standing to sue the federal government on many immigration actions, from broad policy decisions to individual case decisions. In passing the Laken Riley Act, House Republicans and 48 Democrats shamelessly exploited a devastating tragedy to win political points and facilitate incoming…

Washington, DC — Today, 193 immigrant justice organizations sent a letter to President Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, urging the administration to take decisive action to prevent catastrophe for millions of people and avoid handing the keys to an expanded and inhumane detention and deportation system to the next administration. Specifically, the letter implores the administration to: Close detention facilities Halt all detention expansion efforts Release people from detention The letter states: “In your remaining months in office, you have an…

Washington, D.C. — In response to Tom Homan’s new appointment as ‘Border Czar’ for the incoming Trump administration, Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of Detention Watch Network offered the following statement: “Tom Homan has a long record of executing draconian immigration enforcement, including promoting the horrific family separation policy. From his time as Acting Director of ICE under the previous administration to his work most recently at the Heritage Foundation laying the groundwork for a mass deportation agenda, Homan has made clear his disdain for immigrants and his intention to…

En respuesta al regreso de Donald Trump a la Casa Blanca, Silky Shah, Directora Ejecutiva de Detention Watch Network ofreció la siguiente declaración: “Seamos claros: el regreso de Trump a la Casa Blanca, y su agenda sin precedente de deportación masiva y detención de inmigrantes, será catastrófico para el pueblo estadounidense. Durante el primer mandato de Trump, su administración aplicó políticas draconianas contra inmigrantes que envalentaron y normalizaron la violencia y el racismo, separando familias, enjaulando niñez y deteniendo a un número récord de personas en una expansión masiva del…

Eloy, Arizona — Today, Detention Watch Network, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, and Trans Queer Pueblo released an ‘Anthology of Abuse’ on the Eloy Detention Center (Eloy) in Eloy, Arizona. Eloy has gained notoriety as the "deadliest immigration detention center in the U.S.," with at least 16 reported deaths, including five suicides. The report calls for the release of people detained and the permanent closure of the facility immediately. Opened in 1994, Eloy was designed to imprison people in criminal custody but has since evolved into one of the most controversial Immigration…

Washington, DC – Today, a delegation of immigrant justice advocates and people who have experienced immigration detention representing Arizona, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Virginia and Pennsylvania will meet with their elected officials and key members of Congress to discuss the alarming abuses in immigration detention, negative impact of the detention and immigration enforcement system on local communities, and make the following demands: The Biden administration should immediately cease any plans to open new detention centers or to expand existing detention facilities, Close…

Los Angeles, CA – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking to expand immigration detention capacity in the West with the potential to impact Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Posted in August, ICE’s West Coast Multi-State Request for Information (RFI), is seeking detention capacity of 850 to 950 additional detention beds within a two hour drive for each of the following ICE field office locations: Phoenix, El Paso, Seattle, and San Francisco. This West Coast RFI follows a Multi-State RFI posted in May 2024 to increase detention capacity in the Illinois…

Washington, DC – Today, 221 immigrant justice organizations sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, urging the administration to halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) immigration detention expansion efforts, while restoring free phone access to people in detention, and protecting the basic rights of the people in the agency’s custody. The letter outlines an egregious pattern of deteriorating conditions inside detention and ultimately demands that the Biden administration reverse course on immigration and move towards policies that allow…

Washington, DC – Last week reports began emerging of a troubling trend in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. People detained in 16 facilities from across the country reported losing free phone access – a critical lifeline for the mental health of a person in detention to stay connected with their loved ones and prepare for their immigration case. In a haphazard rollout and without notice, ICE has confirmed it will be ending this program at all facilities. Advocates say that people in detention have come to depend on free phone access while navigating the isolation and…

Dilley, Texas – Yesterday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that the South Texas Family Detention Center in Dilley, Texas, commonly referred to as “Dilley,” will close. Advocates who have long called out the rampant abuse at Dilley are frustrated that the motive to close Dilley is to expand detention elsewhere. The administration plans to increase immigration detention by an estimated 1,600 detention beds. Let us be clear: Whenever people are in ICE custody, lives are in jeopardy. This announcement comes in coordination with a broader anti-immigrant strategy and affirms how…

Washington, DC – In response to Biden’s executive order that, when triggered, will temporarily shut down the Southern border to people seeking asylum, Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network, issued the following statement: “With Biden’s executive order, the administration continues to send a clear and dangerous message that it sees immigrant and refugee lives as expendable by enacting a racist and immoral agenda on immigration. Today’s order will close the border to people seeking asylum when there is an average of 2,500 people crossing a day over a seven day period. This…

Atlanta, Georgia - In a display of unity, over 100 people from across the county marched and rallied in downtown Atlanta demanding dignity and respect for communities targeted by racialized enforcement practices across the state, country, and globe. The event, led by Detention Watch Network and local members and partners, demanded the closure of all detention centers including the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Just one week ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported the death of a 44-year-old man in their custody at Stewart. This is the second death in a Georgia…

Washington, DC – A new book, Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition, by Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network, dives into US immigration policy and its relationship to mass incarceration, from the last 40 years to the present, showing how the prison-industrial complex and immigration enforcement are intertwined systems of repression. Shah’s book is a timely intervention as anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by fear-mongering, a scarcity mindset, and racist rhetoric has reached a dangerous fever pitch in today’s political discourse. The book outlines how the US…

Washington, DC – In response to news that Biden plans to issue an executive order to dramatically limit the number of asylum-seekers who can cross the southern border, Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network, issued the following statement: “Biden continues to send a clear and dangerous message that he sees immigrant and refugee lives as expendable by enacting a racist and immoral agenda on immigration. Despite his numerous promises to establish a ‘fair and humane’ immigration system, Biden is rapidly moving to the right on immigration. Last month, Biden signed a spending…

Washington, D.C - Today, President Biden signed a federal spending bill that dramatically increases funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Adding to its already astronomical budget, ICE will receive an increase of 13.5 percent from Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 to FY 2024, while CBP will receive a 19 percent increase from the previous FY. Alarmingly, this bill increases funding for ICE to maintain an average daily population of 41,500 people in detention, up from 34,000 last year – a shockingly high level not seen since the Trump administration…

Washington, D.C - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a federal spending bill that would dramatically increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). ICE’s already astronomical budget would increase by 13.5 percent from Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 to FY 2024, while CBP would receive a 19 percent increase from the previous FY. Alarmingly, this bill increases funding for ICE to maintain an average daily population of 41,500 people in detention, up from 34,000 last year – a shockingly high level not seen since the Trump…

Washington, DC – In response to Biden’s invitation to Trump to collaborate on an immigration bill, Setareh Ghandehari, Detention Watch Network’s advocacy director, issued the following statement: “Yesterday, Biden sent shock waves across the country by legitimizing Trump and the hate that he stands for when he invited him to ‘join me’ to revive the punitive, restrictive, anti-immigrant funding bill that failed last month. This is yet another deeply infuriating example of Biden’s betrayal of the promises he made to establish a more humane immigration system that departs from the cruelty of the…

Washington, DC – In response to recent reporting by NBC News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and other outlets citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials claiming a budget shortfall and demanding more funding, Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director at Detention Watch Network, offered the following comment: “ICE is lying – full stop. The agency’s ‘budget shortfall’ narrative is a dangerous PR stunt when ICE already boasts an astronomical budget of $8.4 billion. The failed supplemental funding proposal would have unnecessarily provided more than $7 billion on top of this…

Washington, DC – In response to recent reporting in The Atlantic that Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are formulating plans to deploy the National Guard to deport millions of immigrants, Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network issued the following statement: “We know there is no end to how far Donald Trump, Stephen Miller and the right-wing ideologues that enable them will go to target and dehumanize immigrants. This most recent plan would have dire consequences for immigrants and our democracy. Whether or not it becomes a reality, it is clear that the far-right is laying the…

Washington, DC – Yesterday the Senate released text of a proposed funding bill that would provide Biden with $118 billion in response to his $106 billion supplemental funding request. The bill includes numerous cruel and dangerous anti-immigrant provisions and will gravely impact people’s ability to seek safety and opportunity in the U.S. In response, Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director at Detention Watch Network issued the following statement: “For months, President Biden and the Senate have negotiated this funding package while using immigrant communities as political pawns. Now, Biden and…

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY - The pursuit for immigrant rights in New Jersey is making early headway in 2024 and one of the state’s most significant opponents is President Biden. Last week, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office filed an appeal against a court decision that allows the federal government to continue detaining immigrants at the Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC), the only Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center left in New Jersey. The federal court decision had contradicted a widely supported state law (AB 5207) that prohibits new ICE contracts and would have shut…

Washington, DC – Last week, Frankline Okpu, 37, died on December 6 and Carlos Juan Francisco, 42, died on December 4, both in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. The tragic passing of Okpu and Francisco marks 14 reported deaths in ICE custody under the Biden administration. Okpu was detained at the Moshannon Valley Detention Center in Pennsylvania, a former Bureau of Prisons (BOP) jail that was converted to an ICE detention center in 2021 despite widespread criticism demanding to close the facility permanently. Moshannon is currently the largest detention facility on the East…

Washington, DC – New reports indicate that the Biden administration has signaled willingness to use immigrants as bargaining chips to push through his October funding request. The latest negotiations of Biden’s $105 billion supplemental funding request, including $8.7 billion in additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), indicate that the deal in discussion would effectively implement an asylum ban by creating near-impossible barriers to applying for asylum, drastically expand rapid deportation proceedings, and undermine humanitarian and other forms of parole. In…

Louisiana — Today, Detention Watch Network, the Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition, the National Immigration Project (NIPNLG), and RFK Human Rights released an ‘ Anthology of Abuse’ on the still operational Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. Its short history as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility is littered with both individual and systemic reports of horrific conditions, egregious violence, and abuse of authority. The report calls for the release of people detained and the permanent closure of the facility when its ICE detention contract…