Congress: Shrink the cruel immigration detention system

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention is known for abuse, pervasive medical neglect, and complete disregard for the dignity of people in its custody. Yet, year after year, Congress allocates billions of dollars toward maintaining detention facilities that traumatize and harm immigrants.

There is another way. People navigating their immigration cases should be able to do so with their families and loved ones, not behind bars in immigration detention. Congress can and should reduce funding for ICE detention capacity and begin to shrink an abusive system that needlessly locks up members of our community and people seeking asylum.

Message Recipients: Your U.S. Senators and House Representative

Congress: Shrink the cruel immigration detention system

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Your Message

Subject Support a reduction in ICE detention beds

As your constituent, I am calling on you to support a reduction in funding for our immigration detention system, which traumatizes and harms immigrants every day. President Biden and Congressional appropriators have rightly proposed a significantly reduced budget for ICE detention capacity – but it does not go far enough. I urge you to support even greater cuts.

Message Body

ICE detention has long been known for its abuse and cruelty. Use of solitary confinement, patterns of sexual abuse, nonconsensual gynecological procedures, and a failure to protect people during COVID-19 have all been reported from inside its facilities – and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Despite these systemic problems, the number of people held in immigrant detention, especially in private for-profit facilities, has started to swell once again. This system is cruel and unnecessary. Studies show that immigrants who are released from detention can better care for their families, and prepare and appear for their immigration cases.

President Biden and Congressional leaders have proposed budget cuts to reduce ICE detention capacity. Congress must pass these cuts, and bring immigration detention levels down without relying on invasive surveillance programming.

Now is the time to support President Biden's common sense reductions to our immigration detention capacity to reflect our values and ensure all immigrants are treated with dignity.

Please, I'm asking you to reduce funding for a bloated and cruel immigration detention system and help ensure immigrants are treated with dignity and humanity.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Congress: Shrink the cruel immigration detention system

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