Pressroom

Our latest press releases on important news and events relating to immigration detention in the United States

For media inquiries contact: media@detentionwatchnetwork.org

221 Organizations Call for ICE’s Expansion Efforts to Halt Amid a Pattern of Deteriorating Conditions in Immigration Detention

July 11, 2024

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.

Loss of Free Phone Access – A Critical Lifeline in Detention – Triggers Hunger Strikes

June 13, 2024

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.

Biden Must Shut Down South Texas Family Detention Center “Dilley” Without Expanding Detention Elsewhere

June 11, 2024

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.

Over 100 Advocates Unite in Atlanta to Demand a Shut Down of Immigration Detention Centers, Stop Cop City Construction, and Palestinian Liberation

May 30, 2024

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.

Out Today: Unbuild Walls Makes the Case that Abolition is Essential to Achieving Immigrant Justice

May 7, 2024

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.

Biden signs spending bill, codifying a racist and immoral right-wing agenda

March 23, 2024

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.

Spending bill is a racist and immoral right-wing agenda realized

March 21, 2024

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.

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