Dear Friend --

With so much swirling in the world around us, I want to share a story of hope with you that comes from our immigration program and our Shelter in Place: Immigration Freedom Project.

On October 15th, the United States District Court for the Central District of California ordered that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must release 50 people per day from the Adelanto detention facility until the number of those detained is reduced from 772 to 475.

Our Immigration Program Director, Guillermo Torres, speaks at an action outside Adelanto.

As you know, the situation at Adelanto has been dire since March, and CLUE has been tirelessly advocating for their release since the beginning. But to gain release, each person must have secure housing.

Many of those detained are asylum seekers, and they don't have friends or family who can provide them with a safe home.

That's why CLUE launched its Shelter in Place program, working closely with churches and other community partners to convert previously uninhabited spaces into safe refuge. 

One detainee shared: 

“I am so thankful for a home. In Adelanto, we were treated as animals. We are human beings.”

To date, CLUE has helped gain release for 10 people who were previously incarcerated in Adelanto. This was a herculean effort on the part of Guillermo Torres, our Immigration Program Director, coalition partners, our friends at St. John's Episcopal Church in San Bernardino, who are providing housing for some of the detainees, and Pastor Carrie from the United Methodist Church of Victorville who opened her doors to those who were just released.

Two people reunite after being released from Adelanto.

A recently released detainee in his safe shelter.

Further Reading

In April, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California filed a class action lawsuit against the detention center and the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of those detained in Adelanto.

Immigration centers across the country are a breeding ground for coronavirus infections.

According to the lawsuit, bunk beds in Adelanto are only two to three feet apart, cells are shared between four to eight people, and detainees share toilets, sinks, and showers without being given sanitizer or disinfectant before or after use.

Earlier this month, Adelanto had the most diagnosed COVID19 cases among immigration detention facilities across the country - as of October 9th, 147 people inside Adelanto had tested positive for the coronavirus.

• To read more about the project, click here.
• Have a space to offer to a formerly incarcerated person? Please contact Guillermo Torres at [email protected].
• Don't have a space but want to help? Donate today.

Thank you for being with us on this journey.

In faith and solidarity, 

Michelle M. Seyler, J.D.

Executive Director

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