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Press ReleaseSep 2020
Immigrants' Rights
ACLU Statement on Reports of ICE Resuming Interior Enforcement and DetentionACLU Statement on Reports of ICE Resuming Interior Enforcement and Detention
WASHINGTON — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly will return to full interior enforcement and detention practices, a reversal from an earlier temporary suspension of interior enforcement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes after weeks of increased raids and fear mongering communication from ICE. The following is a statement from Andrea Flores, deputy immigration policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union: “More than 205,200 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, and more than 7.15 million people in the country have been diagnosed with the disease. The pandemic is very much still ongoing, and disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities. By resuming civil enforcement, ICE is increasing the likelihood that more immigrants and DHS staff will be exposed to this virus, not only in enforcement operations, but also in detention facilities. Just this past weekend, a 56-year-old man died from COVID-19 in ICE custody. He is the eighth known person to die in immigrant detention after testing positive for COVID-19. “ICE has repeatedly demonstrated its inability to provide safe and sanitary conditions — even in the best of circumstances. This is an overtly political decision 35 days from Election Day that will lead to even more avoidable deaths and COVID-19 infections. ICE should be suspending civil immigration enforcement and reducing the number of people in immigration detention, not increasing the population with new arrests. Once again, this administration has made its priorities clear: xenophobic politics instead of saving lives. Immigration status should not be a death sentence.” -
Press ReleaseApr 2020
ACLU Demands That CBP Halt Interior Enforcement, Release Detainees, and Suspend Wall Construction During COVID-19
ACLU Demands That CBP Halt Interior Enforcement, Release Detainees, and Suspend Wall Construction During COVID-19
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Border Rights Center (BRC) sent a letter today to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demanding that CBP, including Border Patrol, temporarily suspend civil immigration enforcement, release everyone in CBP detention, and halt all border wall construction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter calls on CBP to cease any enforcement at sensitive locations — such as doctors’ offices, hospitals, churches, and schools — and to issue clear guidance that this enforcement will end, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did in March. “We know that CBP activities overwhelmingly impact communities of color and are likely to discourage those in need from traveling to access medical care or other essential services. At a time when Black and Brown communities are dying at a disproportionate rate from COVID-19, we must ensure they do not face unjust burdens in accessing care,” said Andrea Flores, deputy director of policy for ACLU’s Equality Division. “With at least 265 confirmed COVID-19 cases among CBP employees, temporarily suspending civil enforcement, releasing all people in detention, and pausing border wall construction are critical steps to ensure the safety of border residents, people in detention, DHS staff, and surrounding communities. Lives are on the line.” CBP’s interior checkpoints force hundreds of thousands of border residents to engage with an agent to access essential services — deterring many people from making such necessary trips. Further, CBP jails — facilities long plagued by overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and unsanitary conditions — are not designed or equipped to handle this extraordinary public health crisis. In order to meaningfully reduce the systemic spread of the virus, all people in detention must be temporarily released.