Our latest press releases on important news and events relating to immigration detention in the United States
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - “Caged Dreams,” a new documentary from Detention Watch Network that premiered today, details the stories of Johannes Favi, Beatriz Batres, and Felipe Diosdado, who were previously detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and suffered long-lasting trauma due to their incarceration.
Washington, DC – This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released its latest data on the number of people in its custody, which reported 35,589 people are currently in ICE detention, an eight percent increase from 32,743 people that was reported on August 31.
In response to the alarming growth of people in ICE detention, Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network issued the following statement:
Farmville, Virginia - On September 15th, while protesters demanded the closure of ICA-Farmville in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., local town officials signed a two-week contract extension behind closed doors to continue detaining people in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center until September 30th.
Washington, DC — Today, advocates gathered in 15+ cities, including in Washington, DC as part of a national day of action demanding the Biden administration shut down all detention centers, release all people in detention, and end deportations. Partners in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region used this opportunity to call on President Biden to shut down the ICA operated Farmville detention center, one of two remaining detention centers in Virginia, whose contract was set to expire on the same day.
New Jersey - Today, U.S. Federal Judge Robert Kirsch granted a preliminary injunction against New Jersey’s immigration detention ban to private prison corporation CoreCivic. CoreCivic and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s contract would have originally ceased operations at the Elizabeth Detention Center on August 31, 2023, this Thursday. But following today's ruling in a case brought by CoreCivic earlier this year, the contract is now expected to extend for an additional 12 months.
Farmville, Virginia- On September 15, 2023, a contract between Immigration Centers of America (ICA)-Farmville Detention Center and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will expire, and with four weeks left, advocates are turning up the pressure on President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, and ICE Executive Associate Director Staci Barrera to stop the renewal of the contract and shut down the facility for good.
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Detention Watch Network offers this statement in solidarity with the Stop Cop City movement. As a coalition, we seek to abolish the inhumane and unnecessary immigration detention system. We understand that institutions of policing, military operations, jails, prisons, and detention facilities are interconnected, within the United States and globally. We will not tolerate attempts to expand any of these violent institutions and instead demand that we divest from these cruel systems and invest in the wellness of our communities.
United States - Advocates are demanding the Biden Administration take action to shut down the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey after the administration filed an amicus brief this week supporting private prison operator CoreCivic's attempt to keep the prison open.
New Jersey, USA - This week, the Biden administration is expected to file an amicus brief joining private prison company CoreCivic in its attempt to keep an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prison open in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Washington, DC — On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected a Texas and Louisiana lawsuit seeking to block the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In response to this news, Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director at Detention Watch Network, issued the following statement:
