A group of 120 open borders organizations — including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Catholic Migration Services, Center for American Progress, and United We Dream — are asking Biden’s administration to implement an ICE review process that would “reconsider the custody determination for every person currently” in the agency’s custody.
There are currently more than 14,000 detainees in ICE custody.
“We are heartened by the early steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to reorient the U.S. immigration system toward a framework that embraces human rights and compassion,” the letter states:
However, we are concerned that these policies have not yet been implemented in a meaningful or systemic way with regard to the approximately 14,000 people in ICE detention. Leaving behind the thousands who continue to suffer in detention will undermine efforts by your agencies to rebuild trust with communities and is at odds with President Biden’s stated commitment to racial equity and human rights. [Emphasis added]
The full letter can be read here:
Coalition Letter Calling fo… by John Binder
“Prioritize the release of individuals who face a heightened risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 due to age or a preexisting condition as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, transgender people, HIV+ people, and all families and children,” they tell administration officials.
The request comes as reports indicate that Biden is considering abolishing most ICE detention by cutting off the privately managed facilities, which hold detainees for the federal government until they are deported to their native countries.
