Nearly 200 immigrant advocacy groups have written a letter to President Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, urging them to close ICE detention centers and consider releasing detainees ahead of the Trump administration's plan to change current policy. did.
The letter was also “CC'd” by ICE Deputy Director Patrick Rechleitner and ICE Chief of Staff Michael Lumpkin, calling for “immediate action to protect immigrant communities.” [they] “We can still do it before their term ends.”
“With just a few months left in your term, you have an opportunity to uphold your commitment to the dignity and humane treatment of all people, including those who immigrate to our country…”
The group did not name President-elect Trump, but warned that the next administration would likely follow “his mass deportation plans to the end.”
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This photo shows migrants encountered at the southern Arizona border. (U.S. Border Patrol)
The group warned that the measures would tear families apart and “upside down the lives of millions”.
The letter, led by the Detention Oversight Network, includes the American Friends Service Committee, Americans for Immigrant Justice, UCLA School of Law's Immigration Law and Policy Center, Human Rights Watch, Make the Road, Robert It included 192 signatories, including F. Kennedy's Human Rights.
The latter group is run by Kerry Kennedy, not her brother Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The coalition says closing the detention center now will end “inhumane and abusive conditions” that it says include inadequate food and water, medical neglect and death. .
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A group claiming to be of Indian origin sits behind the border wall at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Lukeville, Arizona, on August 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
“No one should be detained in this situation. [Biden and Mayorkas] “We have pledged to end the federal government's use of commercial detention facilities, and now that more than 90% of prisoners are detained in facilities run by private companies, this is our last chance to make good on that promise,” the letter said. are.
The second of the three pillars is to halt detention facility expansion efforts by freezing or canceling requests for proposals (RFPs).
The consortium said the incoming Trump administration should not be given an expanded mechanism to set offset targets.
“To protect families and prevent separation, we must take every possible action to prevent the next administration from easily expanding detention capacity, including pressuring Congress to pass a budget that reduces immigration detention costs.”
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President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas meet in the Oval Office. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Third, organizations advocated for starting the release process with “vulnerable populations,” such as immigrants with physical or mental health concerns or those deemed eligible for parole or parole. Ta.
“People can and should pursue their immigration process in their communities, with the support of loved ones and legal assistance.”
“Now is the time to take decisive action to prevent catastrophe for millions of people and avoid handing the next president the keys to an expanded and inhumane system of detention and deportation.” they wrote.
Other officials across the country have also warned against Trump's immigration proposals, with Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson calling Trump a “threat” to “new arrivals, undocumented immigrant families… and Black families.” ” he called.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Mayorkas for comment.
