|
| Denounce Draconian Detention Provisions in Senate Immigration Bill | May 21, 2007 |
| Immigrant families in Florida with no criminal histories who pose no threat to our national security are being detained in record numbers. More than 18,000 immigrants have been arrested nationwide since last year, pursuant to ICE’s “Operation Return to Sender.” One in ten were arrested in Florida. The impact on Florida families has been devastating. Babies have literally been pulled out of their mothers arms and children hastily left with unrelated caregivers or placed in foster care as parents are taken into custody. Recent government reports have confirmed that conditions of confinement are frequently harsh and punitive and federal standards of detention, designed to ensure detainees’ safe and humane treatment, are regularly ignored. In 2006, 26,500 people were held on any given day by Immigration authorities, costing $1.2 billion a year. Pending legislation proposes to add another 20,000 detention beds. A subsidiary of Halliburton has already been contracted to build temporary detention facilities. Congress should put politics aside and permit those in the U.S. without legal documents who are contributing greatly to our economy to embark on a path to legal status. As DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff recently pointed out “Right now, I\'ve got my Border Patrol agents and my immigration agents chasing maids and landscapers. I want them to focus on drug dealers and terrorists.” | |