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

In the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, business as usual: ICE awards a nearly $50 million contract to keep the Houston Processing Center open for the next decade

March 24, 2020

Houston, TX — Last week Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) awarded the Houston Processing Center a nearly $50 million contract to keep the for-profit immigration detention facility open for the next decade. The 10-year contract is the first of a three facility solicitation for increased detention capacity in Texas that ICE initiated in November.

An unprecedented response: Nearly 800 non-governmental organizations call on ICE to release all people from immigration detention

March 19, 2020

Washington, DC — Today, 763 non-governmental organizations sent a letter to Matthew T. Albence, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling for ICE to immediately release all people currently detained in immigration detention, cease all local enforcement operations, and eliminate ICE check-ins and mandatory court appearances.

Suicides on the rise in immigration detention

February 21, 2020

Youngstown, Ohio — Detention Watch Network is demanding an immediate investigation into the death of David Hernandez Colula, a 34-year-old man from Mexico. Hernandez Colula died on February 20 while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after being detained at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, Ohio. ICE is reporting his death as an apparent suicide, marking the seventh death in ICE custody during FY2020. 

Defund Hate Coalition Responds to ICE Shooting Two People in NYC: The Deportation Force of ICE and CBP Are Terrorizing our Communities 

February 7, 2020

Washington, DC — On Thursday, news media reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot two people in an attempt to arrest an immigrant outside their home in Brooklyn, New York. 

The Defund Hate Campaign, which is made up of 38 organizations comprising directly impacted communities, faith leaders, and civil rights and immigrant rights advocates, released the following statement:

New bill will keep ICE and its contractors out of Maryland, protect immigrant communities, and make sure that no city, county, or corporation is profiting from immigration detention

January 30, 2020

Annapolis, Maryland — Today, Maryland Delegates introduced the Dignity Not Detention Act, a bill that would ban new state and local contracts with for-profit immigration detention companies and start to phase out existing contracts by July 2020.

Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network, issued the following statement in response:

Pages