|
 Today, as we observe International Human Rights Day, please take a moment to read the following reflection from IDP’s Equal Justice Works Fellow Brittany Castle on her work to challenge the evils of the inhumane mass immigration detention system.
|
|
Though you don’t know me, imagine for a second that I'm facing deportation. ICE has arrested and detained me in a jail—far away from my family and community, perhaps disrupting critical medical treatment, or leaving my loved ones, suddenly, without a caregiver or financial support. Maybe I have a lawyer or, maybe, like more than 80% of detained immigrants, I am trying to navigate the system alone.
Imagine, then, that I am told due to a decades-old conviction or the manner in which I entered the country, I am subject to “mandatory detention.” Not only will I not get a chance to explain to a judge why I should be released—to return to my family or my community—I might also be detained for years, trying to fight my deportation.
This is the reality many immigrants in America face today. The Trump Administration, through its racist policing practices and xenophobic immigration policies, is locking up more immigrants than ever before. At the same time, advocates and governmental organizations continue to document ever-worsening conditions, utter indifference to medical needs, and abusive labor practices in immigration jails. The need for creative and committed advocacy challenging the detention system speaks for itself.
In September, I returned to Immigrant Defense Project, joining its litigation team to represent immigrants stuck in detention and working to support attorneys fighting for their clients’ freedom. By doing this work, IDP is uniquely positioned to highlight the unconstitutionality and human rights violations that are endemic to the mass detention system and ultimately work toward its dismantling.
This detention work is just one of the ways in which IDP fights to keep immigrant families together and to strengthen immigrant communities. It is only with your support that we can continue to pursue new ways to safeguard those we hold closest to our hearts. This giving season please consider making a donation to IDP as we continue to fight for the rights of all of our friends, families, and communities.
|
|
|
|
