Seeing the Divine in Every Life: AFSC Statement on Immigrant Detention

Since 1917 the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has served as a non-governmental organization, grounded in the principles and testimonies of the Society of Friends (Quakers). The Quaker vision of justice is grounded in a core belief that “there is that of God in everyone” and the Biblical call to welcome the stranger.

Our vision, as it applies to immigration, draws on years of experience in international human rights work and with immigrant communities worldwide. Human migration is a global phenomenon driven by political, social and economic considerations that demand not just our attention, but our humanity and compassion. We are all God’s people, no matter our circumstances.

And so we react with dismay to the increasing criminalization of individuals with tenuous legal status in the United States. In particular, we see the increasing overuse and abuse of detention as a demonstrably failed policy and practice. The U.S. government’s punitive focus on arrest, detention and deportation diverts attention from more compelling human, civil and labor rights issues and from the complex causes of immigration. This punitive focus, in its harsh and capricious application, shatters families and stokes fear in communities; creates incentives for individuals and businesses to profit by the incarceration of others; and shames our highest ideals as Americans and our deepest convictions as Quakers.

We envision an immigration policy free of imprisonment, a policy that offers humane treatment to asylum seekers, refugees, and economic migrants, and that provides for legal status for undocumented immigrants. We call for the end to the misguided and profoundly unjust policy of detention in our immigration system.

Approved by the American Friends Service Committee

Board Executive Committee

2009

Time to End the "Nation of Detention" Era

AFSC's immigrant and refugee rights network has consistently sought to challenge the growth of the nation's detention industrial complex, which in the last decade has grown at an unprecedented level. Board members, staff, and community members have worked to draw public attention to the abusive conditions and violations that have occurred in detention centers.

This past June AFSC's Board of Directors issued a statement which in part read, "The increased criminalization of immigrants and non-immigrants -- particularly those who have not been able to adjust their immigration status in the United States is a disturbing trend that does not bode well for a nation committed to the civil rights of every person."

The increased overuse and abuse of detention is a demonstrably failed policy and practice that has led to human rights abuses, caused millions of dollars to taxpayers, and led to the incarceration of men, women and children (e.g., Hutto Detention Center). Little reform has taken place despite several detailed reports pointing to the poor conditions of the “holding” quarters, lack of timely medical attention or humane treatment of detainees, and the deplorable physical conditions found in these detention facilities.

Yet another troubling aspect of the existing detention chaos circle, is the anguish and family hardship caused by the geographic separation of a detainee who is often sent far away from family members, thus making it difficult for them to visit or provide emotional support. Still another challenge is legal representation for someone who has been moved from one state to another.

AFSC’s immigrant and refugee rights work draws on decades of domestic and international human rights work, and the fundamental Quaker core belief that “there is that of God in everyone.” Human migration is a global phenomenon driven by political, social and economic considerations that demand not just our attention, but our humanity and compassion.

The punitive focus on arrest, detention and deportation diverts attention from more compelling human, civil and labor rights issues and from the complex causes of immigration. This punitive focus, in its harsh and capricious application, shatters families and stokes fear in communities; creates incentives for others to profit by the incarceration of others; and shames the nation’s highest ideals of justice and freedom.

AFSC envisions an immigration policy free of imprisonment, a policy that offers humane treatment to asylum seekers, refugees, and economic migrants, and that provides for legal status for undocumented immigrants. AFSC continues to call for the end to this misguided and profoundly unjust policy of detention in our immigration system.

The time is long overdue for the nation's leaders to make fundamental and structural policy changes to current immigration policies, while also doing away with the deplorable detention system, and protecting the basic universal rights and dignity of immigrants and refugees.

LEARN more about the detention issue, visit these websites or contact these organizations:

• Newark Immigrant Rights Program at www.afsc.org/nymetro/ or call 973-643-1924
• Read AFSC's Report, A New Path: Toward Humane Immigration Policy www.afsc.org/ImmigrantsRights (see page 10 of report for specifics on detention)
• Detention Watch Network: http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/
• National Immigration Law Center: http://www.nilc.org/

ACT to end detention and abuse:

1. Contact the White House and urge President Obama to support policies that ensure that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enacts enforceable and humane standards for the treatment of immigrant detainees. Call the White House general switchboard: 202-456-1414 or express your concern contact 202-456-1111 or to send an e-mail message go to: www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

2. Contact your state's Congressional leaders and urge them to support Senators Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York bills to force DHS to implement legally enforceable rules and policies. Call the Congressional switchboard:

• To contact your Senator: 202-224-3121
• To contact your Representative: 202-225-3121

How Immigration Detention Harms Women

by Lindsey Daniel, AFSC Policy Intern

Everyday there are more than 33,400 immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in over 500 facilities across the United States according to the Women's Refugee Commission. About 10% of these detainees are women – up 3% from last year.

On Wednesday the National Coalition for Immigrant Women’s Rights, Human Rights Watch, the Women’s Refugee Commission, and the American Civil Liberties Union in cooperation with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus hosted a briefing on the treatment of women in immigration detention facilities.

“Had I not experienced a year in immigration detention, I would never have believed that such inhumanity existed,” said Marlene Jaggernauth, a single parent who was separated from her four children.

Although there are mental and physical healthcare standards for detainees, they are hardly ever met. While the standards cover emergency medical needs, they often exclude special needs of women, including gynecological exams, assistance to victims of sexual assault, and pre- and post-natal care.

Kathleen Baldoni, a former nurse at an immigration detention center in Texas, described the healthcare system as “an afterthought for the facility and for ICE. [The] care is task-oriented, not patient-oriented.” Baldoni's employer fired her for speaking at the briefing (Nursing Link). She showed “tremendous courage in coming forward,” said Meghan Rhoad of Human Rights Watch.

Bill Seeks Accountability for Inhumane Detention Conditions

At the briefing, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA), and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) all publicly announced their support of a new policy for immigration detention centers. Representative Roybal-Allard described her bill to amend these flaws in ICE detention practices.

The Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act (H.R. 1215) will strengthen accountability and oversight of the immigration detention structure by regulating higher standards of care in immigration detention centers in the areas of medical treatment, sexual abuse, the use of force, access to telephones and legal materials, and procedures for detainee grievances.

AFSC is committed to promoting an improved and humane immigration policy for the United States. AFSC’s staff team in Newark, New Jersey provide Know Your Rights presentations in detention centers throughout the state, and provide legal representation and referrals to detained immigrants facing deportation. For more information on AFSC’s policy recommendations on detention click here to read A New Path Toward Humane Immigration Policy.

Victory!

Asylum granted in three cases

It took years – literally.

But on Monday, March 30, AFSC’s Newark, New Jersey, office received good news: several of the program’s immigrant clients received asylum.

A man from Guinea had been waiting since 2005. For a Guatemalan woman and her daughter, the decision took two years. In addition, just a few days earlier pro bono attorneys from Schulte Roth and Zabel, working with AFSC, won asylum for a Tibetan man detained at the Elizabeth Detention Center. The attorneys are now helping the man petition for his wife and children.

“Of course,” said Elissa Steiglich, “these wins are in addition to the daily victories that we often fail to recognize – the dozen plus new residents ushered in last month, the unemployed Cubans who now have the work permit to give them a hope of a job, the kids who have an advocate at their side, and the dozens of clients calmed by Myrna’s smile and good will.”

Steglich is managing attorney for the New York metropolitan region’s Immigrants’ Rights program.

Families Bring Stories of Detention and Deportation to Congress

Immigrant Rights Groups and Families Advocate for Child Citizen Protection Act

On Tuesday, March 3, 2009, over 40 family members directly affected by immigration detention and deportation and a coalition of immigrant rights organizations from New York and New Jersey will convene in Washington D.C. to press Congress for passage of the Child Citizen Protection Act (CCPA).

The bill, reintroduced in 2009 by Congressman Jose E. Serrano (D-NY), would immigration judges’ discretion to consider the best interest of a U.S. citizen child before deciding whether to deport his or her parent.

"If the Child Citizen Protection Act becomes a law, my children who are citizens of this country will not grow up without a mother, drop out of school or be forced to go to a country that they hardly know," said Pauline N., one of the delegation members from New Jersey.

The families and organizations including the American Friends Service Committee, Families for Freedom, and the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, will meet with Congressional offices such as Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to tell their stories of family separation and hardship to lawmakers,

"Given the drastic shift in immigration law in 1996, there has been an unprecedented expansion of the grounds for deportation leading to an exponential increase in the number of cases where individuals are not eligible for any viable form of relief from deportation. The CCPA would ensure family unity and the right of a child to be with his or her parents," said Betsy DeWitt of Families for Freedom.

Homies Unidos, a California-based group, will bring affected community members to visit their members of Congress locally in solidarity with groups traveling to Washington DC.

Press Contacts:

• Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights: Sandy Plácido (NY & DC), 347-601-0089
• AFSC Newark: Chia-Chia Wang (NJ & DC)), 646-509-3860
• Homies Unidos: Luis Guzman (CA), 323-273-5564
  

Jingle Bells of Justice for Some Children

After some weather delays and a re-routing of his sleigh , Santa Claus stopped in to visit children at a Texas detention site. Children detained with their families at T. Don Hutto Detention Center in South Texas received presents collected in a toy drive organized by community members, New America Media reports.

Unfortunately, the injustice of detention almost stole Christmas from the children. "We only got to deliver these toys as a result of lots of litigation and many protests" said Luissana Santibanez, an immigrant rights advocate with Grassroots Leadership and one of the toy drive organizers (New America Media). She explained that the toy delivery was allowed because of the community outcry about the horrific conditions in privately-run immigration detention centers for children and families including lack of medical treatment, food with cockroaches, and deaths.

“The fact that we’re able to bring these toys to children is a huge victory.” said Santibanez. "We can’t let them be so cruel to kids; we can’t let them hide this,” she said.

Learn more: Visit http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/ to learn how you can take action.

What Financial Crisis? Not at the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Unit

FY ’09 budget showers more funds to support an antiquated system

No deals, austerity, belt-tightening and accountability have been some of the words heard in the Congressional corridors and the White House as national leaders hear from their frustrated constituents. In the case of the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit, public spending doesn't appear to be a concern.

In fact, this past Tuesday Congress passed a Continuing Resolution which while keeping other government agencies in operation -- at least through March 6th -- provides the Department of Homeland Security a $39.98 billion budget for the 2009 fiscal year.

A cursory review of the Department's budget shows expenditures that continue the White House's relentless campaign of sweeping raids, detentions and deportations. The slowdown in the nation’s construction industry has had no impact on DHS. Indeed, DHS will continue its southern border buildup by constructing fences, adding personnel and the ongoing makeover of the Mexico-U.S. border into a militarized and hostile spread of land.

Moreover, in an attempt to respond to news reports, media coverage and a public outcry about the treatment and deaths of detainees while held in ICE custody, a small sliver of the bill places contractors squarely responsible if they fail to comply with the Department’s "detention standards." In this case, contractors may have their contracts canceled. Monitoring of the medical care of detainees will also be done by independent experts.

Detain and deport, a band-aid solution that won’t work

Yet, there is little – if any – interest in the promotion of fundamental policy shifts or in addressing the geopolitical and economic realities that propel a steady stream of immigration to the United States. A summary review of the DHS FY ’09 budget indicates:

• 4,361 new hires at Customs and Border Protection
• $775 million for border fencing
• An increase in the ICE budget to nearly $5 billion (this is an increase of $254 million)
• An additional 1400 detention beds
  

"This budget does not address the existing backlog of applicants, efforts to integrate immigrants or defend the labor rights of exploited and abused immigrant workers, instead it further criminalizes workers," concludes Gabriel Camacho, AFSC regional organizer in Boston. He has been working with communities throughout Massachusetts to train community members in what to do in case of a raid, and how to protect their constitutional and human rights.

Amy Gottlieb, director of AFSC’s Immigrant Rights Program (Newark, NJ) comments, “This windfall for the Department of Homeland Security allows ICE to send fugitive teams into immigrant neighborhoods and worksites, creating havoc in entire communities that are already living on the edge, feel the daily tension and where residents are fearful of even walking out their front door. These are communities in which children ask their parents, ‘Are we next?’ What can a parent say to a child? We don't need increased force and might."

Funds also will be used to support enforcement-only programs. Specifically, states will be provided funds for the implementation of the Real ID Act ($50 million), and the participation of local and state police in the 287(g) program ($5.4 million). Public dollars to the tune of $2.4 billion will go to the Office of Detention and Removal and the short-term approval of $100 million for the E-verify program. The E-verify program targets employers and requires them to ‘verify’ the employment documentation of their workers.

However, research has shown that the E-verify system is terribly flawed and inaccurate, and has also led to other problems, including the racial profiling of workers and other reported abuses. "Warehousing people in detention centers may be profitable for private industries but it also separates family members, disrupts the quality of life of entire communities, and the social fabric that imbues economic vitality. An outdated system requires fair and humane policy remedies, and taking corrective measures to address what is now obviously not working," concurs Gottlieb.

Spirit of Hope prevails despite spending spree and election year dance

Once again the opportunity to move toward substantive and humane immigration polices has been thwarted. It will take forceful public pressure for legislators to continue the public policy discussion, and to engage in a bipartisan effort that brings the present immigration system into the 21st century.

In spite of this climate, community-based organizations, nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, faith institutions, labor, neighborhood clubs and mutual aid societies, and grassroots leaders continue their work of supporting and training immigrant and refugee communities on constitutional rights, due process and civil liberties. Actions range from visits, calls and letters to legislators, to support and emergency assistance to families who have been impacted by raids, detention or the deportation of loved ones. In addition, several national organizations have undertaken public education campaigns to increase public awareness and challenge the anti-immigrant climate, and to mobilize for long-term, constructive and fair immigration policies.

Alice Perry, AFSC staff member in Portland, Oregon opines, “Our communities are not going to give up. Many of these men and women have sacrificed their lives to be here, to work here, to rear their children here, and to contribute what they can in their new country, now their new home. They are parents, neighbors, homeowners, taxpayers, and more. Their deep-rooted sense of justice and relentless hope continues to prevail over the hatred and disparagement they have experienced. AFSC's role is to affirm this spirit, promote dialogue, support family members and encourage humane changes to obsolete laws that no longer make sense and are impractical."

AFSC Human Rights Advocate Released

At 10:00 pm on August 5th 2008 the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Border Patrol) released AFSC staff member, Christian Ramirez after nearly 6 hours of unjustified detention and without any charges against him. He was told of the many people who called from throughout the country urging that Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station officials to release him. The American Friends Service Committee thanks all who supported and ensured the release of Christian Ramirez and takes this opportunity to share his letter with you:

"Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am truly moved by the outpouring of support. Thank you so much for the many emails and calls. I am also grateful for the outstanding effort of my friends and colleagues in San Diego; without their coordination, I will still be detained.

There are many things I want to say, I was detained and then arrested for visiting a park where north meets south and the Pacific crashes against the land, a park that I have visited all of my life. I was detained and arrested for bearing witness to the ongoing destruction of that park, for a triple fence will bypass the last place where families can still come together, and see each other through the wall of death that separates our families and communities.

I was able to capture on video most of the incident. My camera, video, and cell phone were all returned. I was detained for two hours at the park and for four (under arrest) at a Border Patrol Station. I spent the four hours in a cell of about 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. I was released as a result of all of your calls.

Just last Sunday, communities from Tijuana and San Diego came together at the park for an ecumenical gathering. Hundreds of people attended on both sides of the border, including my family. On the Tijuana side, my grandmother sat on a lawn chair flanked by my aunts, uncles laughed, we smiled, we sang together and for that moment the 10 foot wall between us disappeared.

After the event ended, we said our goodbyes; I stretched my fingers through the fence and touched my grandmother's fingers, the only parts of our bodies' small enough to cross through. It was only at that moment the wall reappeared with its entire monstrosity.

This special space has been known as Friendship Park. In my mind and the mind of many here in the San Diego-Tijuana border region, a high wall or other barriers will never take our friendship away, and most certainly not our dignity.

Join us as we endeavor to ensure that Friendship Park can be a space for friendship, family gatherings and the peaceful co-existence of two communities. Greetings and again my deepest thanks to the many colleagues friends, family and faith voices who took action for my release.

Desde la herida abierta - la frontera (From the open wound - the border)

Su humilde servidor, Christian Ramirez"

Detainee Deaths Push Congress to Act

Today the House Judiciary Committee Immigration Subcommittee will question the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a hearing about problems with immigrant detainee medical care. "The Department of Homeland Security's denial and delay is leading to death and disability," House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers (D-MI) said. "It is time for answers, not excuses," said Conyers (Washington Post).

The hearing follows a series of news reports by the New York Times, Washington Post, 60 Minutes and PBS about immigration detention. Boubacar Bah, a 52-year old tailor from Guinea, detained at the Elizabeth Detention Center, lay unconscious for three days without any official informing his family. His story, reported in the New York Times, brought light to serious concerns about treatment in detention.

From January 2004-November 2007, 66 people died in immigration custody, according to a list obtained by the Times through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Detainee Basic Medical Care Act Introduced

This month House Immigration Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act (HR 5950) to require reporting of detainee deaths to the DHS and Congress and mandate standards of care. "The legislation will help guarantee that minimal standards of care are put in place," said Representative Lofgren. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a Senate companion version of the bill (S. 3005).

"Many of those in immigration custody are there for minor violations, many for administrative and paperwork related mistakes. Their detention should not be a death sentence," Lofgren said.

AFSC and Faith-Based Partners Take Action

"Our misguided national fervor to build more jails and incarcerate more individuals, even on the basis of immigration status alone, can only lead to more tragic deaths. We are in grave danger of a nationwide lack of recognition that every individual deserves to be treated with respect. We must reverse this trend before it is too late," wrote Amy Gottlieb, program director, AFSC Immigrant Rights Program in Newark in a letter to the New York Times.

Through its provision of legal services to detainees in New Jersey, leadership development, and support for families of people in detention, AFSC's Newark office has monitored the impact of immigration detention on communities. Members of those communities are bringing their stories to legislators, increasing awareness of the physical, psychological, and social costs of unjust detention.

AFSC has signed onto a national interfaith letter urging members of Congress to support the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act. The letter states, "The faith community is concerned about the government's increasing use of immigration detention and its harmful impact upon children, families and our communities...Our diverse faith backgrounds teach us that every human being must be treated with dignity and respect."

A Face for Change: Luissana Santibanez

Meet Luissana Santibanez (24), an immigrant rights advocate in Austin, Texas. The Open Society Institute recently named her one of the 2008 Soros Justice Fellows among 18 criminal justice advocates. Santibanez plans to build a Texas-based network of former immigrant detainees and raise support for policies to protect their rights (Austin American-Statesman).

"Our goal is providing support and amplifying the voices of former detainees and their families in the broader immigration debate," said Santibanez. "We believe there hasn't been enough attention given to immigration detention."

"Luissana always brings a fresh opinion to our program and we work closely with her on local issues dealing with immigration including the Hutto Detention Center," said AFSC Austin Program Coordinator Josefina Castillo. Santibanez became an AFSC partner through the Texas-based human rights organization Colectivo Flatlander and joined the AFSC Area Program Committee last year.

Photo: Luissana Santibanez (left) works with colleagues during a Colectivo Flatlander "Life with Dignity Workshop" (Taller Vida Digna) (photo courtesy of Josefina Castillo).

An Advocate's Personal Story

Santibanez's commitment draws from her personal experience. She cares for three siblings, all U.S. citizens, while studying at the University of Texas. Her mother, Sergia Santibanez was deported last year. "I am forced to raise my siblings without the love and guidance of the one person we need most in our lives," she said.

"Luissana's case is the perfect example of the harsh impacts of the 1996 immigration law," explained Paromita Shah, associate director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. "It never gave her mother her day in court," said Shah. >To learn more about her case click here.

Support Luissana's Work for Immigrant Rights

To learn how you can support Luissana's work for immigrants' rights in Austin please contact AFSC Austin Program Director Josefina Castillo at jcastillo@afsc.org.

Photo: Luissana brought presents and holiday cheer to children detained in the Hutto Detention Center last December.

Take Action to Stop the Detention of Children and Families

Luissana's future work will draw attention to the difficult reality of immigrants who have been detained. Despite the attention drawn to the increased number of raids and deportations, the most recent Congressional proposal is a disturbing repeat of failed policies.

The SAVE Act (H.R. 4088), also known as the Schuler-Tancredo bill, now under consideration in Congress increases the imprisonment of children and families. The bill would create a family detention space modeled after the infamous Hutto Detention Center in Texas.

This facility houses 400 detainees. Half of these are children who are part of refugee families seeking political asylum after fleeing persecution in their home countries.

Meanwhile the bill fails to address concerns about the treatment of those who are already in detention. On March 11, members of Congress filed a "discharge petition," which would force the House to vote on this flawed bill without review by a committee.

Call your Representative today; contact the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-2141.

Ask your Representative's office to:

• Oppose the SAVE Act (H.R. 4088) discharge petition. Please do not let our taxpayer dollars fund the imprisonment of children and their families.
  

• We need evenhanded and humane solutions, not impractical and unreasonable policies.

UN Expert Finds Rising Violence against Migrants

Jorge Bustamante, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, reported to a UN committee this week that his field visits during the past year have confirmed rising attacks on migrants (See UN News Centre). Bustamante noted that the increasing trend to conduct raids in migrant neighborhoods had led to "to separation of children from their arrested parents, including children born in such countries." (UN News Centre).

He also highlighted concerns about the conditions of migrants in detention. "A number of detained migrants suffer from ill-treatment, lack of medical attention, and abuse. Often, they lack access to justice, as many detained migrants are not granted access to lawyers for their defense," he stated to the committee.

Bustamante found a trend towards viewing migrants as commodities, rather than as people with rights. Countries should include a human rights perspective into their discussions, he urged.

Learn More ...

• Understanding Border Realities: Immigrant Communities Speak United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights of Migrants
  
  The AFSC San Diego office in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) hosted Dr. Jorge A. Bustamante, UN Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights of Migrants. Read more> (PDF 319.71 KB)



• East Coast Visit of United Nations Special Rapporteur: Focus on Family Separation and Detention
  
  AFSC's New York Metro Region Immigrant Rights Program was one of the leading coordinators of the NY/NJ segment of the UN Special Rapporteur's visit to the east coast. Read More> (PDF 119 KB)

Commission to Investigate Detention of Children

"The U.S. prides itself on family values. Shutting up families in prison is in direct contradiction of these values." - Michelle Brane, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a body of the Organization of American States, said last week that it plans to investigate allegations of mistreatment of people held in U.S. immigration detention centers, the Miami Herald reports. The plan follows the first hearing held by the Commission on the practice of immigration detention. >To watch the testimony click here.

Commission Asks to Tour Centers Detaining Children

Commission Chairman Florentine Melendez said that the human rights body asked the State Department for permission to tour facilities detaining children. "Perhaps no country in the world devotes more resources to the rights of children than the US, but I've been asking myself whether I was facing two countries," said Commission member Paul Sergio Pinheiro. "These are very contrasting pictures," he said.

Michelle Brane Director of the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children's detention and asylum program, who testified before the Commission, said, "the U.S. prides itself on family values. Shutting up families in prison is in direct contradiction of these values."

"Recent tragic deaths in detention have spurred Congress and the international community to investigate the treatment of detainees within the U.S.," said Kerri Sherlock Talbot, director of policy and planing for the Rights Working Group, who also testified the at hearing. Earlier this month, the House Immigration Subcommittee held a hearing on medical treatment in U.S. detention centers. Sherlock called on the international community and the public to force Congress and the administration to require that people in detention are treated humanely.

Read Testimonies from Congressional Hearing on Detention

Edwidge Danticat Niece of Reverend Joseph Dantica, deceased detainee
June Everett Sister of Sandra Kenley, deceased detainee
Francisco Castaneda Former Detainee

Learn more: Visit http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/ to learn how you can take action.

Landmark Settlement in Hutto Detention Case

Dozens of children released from detention as a result of litigation

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) yesterday announced a settlement with the federal government to improve conditions for immigrant children and their families at the T. Don Hutto detention center in Taylor, Texas.

ACLU and the University of Texas law school immigration clinic filed lawsuits in March against federal officials on behalf of 26 immigrant children between the ages of 1 and 17 years old detained at the center with their parents. Requirements of the settlement include eliminating the "count" system that forced families to stay in their cells 12 hours a day; installing privacy curtains around toilets; providing a full-time, on-site pediatrician; and improving the nutritional value of food.

Emotional Release for Immigrant Children

For twelve-year old Andrea Restrepo from Colombia, the settlement means the end to a nightmare. "I am trying to forget everything about Hutto. I feel free. It was a nightmare," said Restrepo, who was held for nearly a year in a small cell in the Hutto Detention Center with her mother and 9-year-old sister.

Restrepo was among the final six children listed as plaintiffs released days before the finalized settlement. Since the ACLU filed the original lawsuits in March 2007, all of the children represented by the ACLU and co-counsel have been released. The children, who are now pursuing their asylum claims, live with U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family members.

"We are thrilled at what we were able to accomplish through litigation and mediation," said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director of the ACLU of Texas. "But the fact remains that our government should not be locking up innocent children — period. That is not what America is about. It is time for Congress to intervene and end the policy of family detention."

The settlement between the ACLU and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requires the approval of United States District Court Judge Sam Sparks, who previously called the children's detention in "substandard conditions" an "urgent problem." Watch a video about the Hutto detention center here.

Detention of Children For Profit Continues

"Despite the tremendous improvements at Hutto, the facility remains a former medium security prison managed by the Corrections Corporation of America, a for-profit adult corrections company," the ACLU said in a statement. "The ACLU remains adamant that detaining immigrant children at Hutto is inappropriate, and calls on Congress to compel DHS to find humane alternatives for managing families whose immigration status is in limbo."

Learn more about how you can take action by visiting the Detention Watch Networks's website at : www.detentionwatchnetwork.org.

To read the full settlement click here