Our latest press releases on important news and events relating to immigration detention in the United States
For media inquiries contact: media@detentionwatchnetwork.org
Washington DC – Detention Watch Network (DWN), el Centro Nacional de Justicia de Inmigrantes (NIJC), el Centro Nacional de Derecho de Inmigración, United We Dream (UWD) y la Comisión de Refugiados de Mujeres (WRC) condenan el plan de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) que pretende llevar a acabo una operación nacional migratoria a mediados o fin de septiembre.
Washington, DC — Today Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The following is a statement by Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network:
“Trump’s decision to end DACA is unconscionable. Trump has wielded countless attacks on immigrants, and today’s announcement is further proof that his white supremacist and nativist administration has no restraint when it comes to tearing apart families and upending lives.
Washington, DC — With just two weeks left until members of Congress return to DC to vote on Trump’s funding proposal, last night’s campaign style rally in Arizona stoked the flames of upcoming funding negotiations. Trump threatened to shut down the government if he does not receive money for the border wall, demonstrating yet again the high stakes showdown slated to take place in September.
The following is a statement by Mary Small, Policy Director for Detention Watch Network:
New York, NY — Immigrant rights organizations, Center for Constitutional Rights, Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP), Families for Freedom, Immigrant Defense Project (IDP), and Detention Watch Network (DWN) are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Carlos Mejia-Bonilla. Mejia-Bonilla, 44, died on Saturday while in the custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This tragedy marks the 10th death to occur in ICE detention since the start of the fiscal year.
Adelanto, CA – It has now been 31 hours since nine individuals, known as the #Adelanto9, began a hunger strike at the Adelanto Detention Center in California yesterday morning. Within hours of refusing to eat food or drink water, the #Adelanto9 reported that they were drenched with pepper spray, beaten and transferred into a high security area by GEO Group (GEO) guards, the notorious private prison company that operates the facility.
Washington, DC — Immigrant rights organizations, Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC), Detention Watch Network (DWN), and the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Vicente Caceres-Maradiaga. Caceres-Maradiaga, 46, died last Wednesday while in the custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being detained at Adelanto Detention Center in California. This tragedy marks the third death to occur at Adelanto this year, after Sergio Alonso Lopez and Osmar Epifanio Gonzalez-Gadba.
Washington, DC — Yesterday, the Trump administration released their proposed budget for fiscal year 2018. Trump is asking taxpayers to support massive cuts to domestic programs while allocating billions of dollars to put more people behind bars and ramp-up the deportation force that will rip people from their families and tear communities apart.
Washington, DC — Immigrant rights organizations, Georgia Detention Watch and Detention Watch Network demand an immediate investigation into the death of Jean Jimenez-Joseph. Jimenez-Joseph, 27, died on Monday while in the custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being detained at Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. ICE is reporting the death as a suicide, which provides a heartbreaking perspective into the state of mind of Jimenez-Joseph who had spent 19 days in solitary confinement prior to his passing.
Washington, DC — Yesterday, the Daily Beast reported that Daniel Ragsdale, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director, will be leaving ICE for an undisclosed position at the private prison company, GEO Group (GEO). Mary Small, Policy Director of Detention Watch Network responds:
Washington, DC – For weeks, hundreds of thousands of people across the country have gathered petitions, protested in the streets, and confronted members of Congress to oppose Trump’s funding request to bankroll his wholesale attack on immigrants. Over the weekend, Congress reached a preliminary deal which would fund the government through the end of September, pending a vote that could come anytime within the week.
