The massive immigration prison system is because Congress has an immigration detention quota in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act 2015: “not less than 34,000 detention beds.” At taxpayer cost, ICE keeps thousands of non-dangerous, non-criminal immigrants in private and local jails. Most at risk are children, women, the disabled and seriously ill, and asylum-seekers who’ve fled persecution and torture. Many of these categories overlap. Vulnerable populations are frequently physically and sexually assaulted while imprisoned. Conditions in the government and corporate prisons, called “detention centers,” are criticized by over 150 organizations: civil rights groups, human rights groups, immigrant rights groups and faith-based groups as well as some members of Congress. Ensuring a non-citizen’s civil immigration court appearance or compliance with a deportation order, the ostensible reasons for the lock-up, can happen at less taxpayer expense. ICE already has successful and effective monitoring programs. Congress should eliminate the immigrant detention quota from it 2016 appropriation request.Congress’ Immigration Detention Quota
The massive immigration prison system is because Congress has an immigration detention quota in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act 2015: “not less than 34,000 detention beds.” At taxpayer cost, ICE keeps thousands of non-dangerous, non-criminal immigrants in private and local jails. Most at risk are children, women, the disabled and seriously ill, and asylum-seekers who’ve fled persecution and torture. Many of these categories overlap. Vulnerable populations are frequently physically and sexually assaulted while imprisoned. Conditions in the government and corporate prisons, called “detention centers,” are criticized by over 150 organizations: civil rights groups, human rights groups, immigrant rights groups and faith-based groups as well as some members of Congress. Ensuring a non-citizen’s civil immigration court appearance or compliance with a deportation order, the ostensible reasons for the lock-up, can happen at less taxpayer expense. ICE already has successful and effective monitoring programs. Congress should eliminate the immigrant detention quota from it 2016 appropriation request.
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