THREAD: A year ago, we worked with #OITNB to provide an accurate portrayal of life inside a detention center. They featured our hotline on the show’s 7th season. Two weeks after the show’s premiere, ICE shut down our hotline. Today, that retaliation ends. #OrangeForever
We are filing a lawsuit in federal court against DHS and ICE to reinstate our free hotline in immigrant detention centers nationwide. We will also seek a preliminary injunction to have the hotline put back into place and to direct ICE to stop retaliating against @MigrantFreedom
Many don’t know this, but immigrants in ICE custody do not have access to a free phone call. Private phone companies such as Talton Telecommunications profit off of high phone call rates, which is why people can't afford to connect with their families and attorneys.
Our pro bono hotline is a lifeline for hundreds of people in detention. The Hotline received up to 14,500 calls per month w/a large uptick in calls after the 2016 election. The hotline is used to report abuses & provide individualized support to people in detention.
Investigations like our report on hate, which put the full-extent of ICE’s hate crimes against immigrants on display, wouldn’t have been possible without our hotline.
freedomforimmigrants.org/report-on-hate
Without the pro bono platform, it has been extremely expensive to maintain the hotline. We have spent upwards of $15,000 on phone calls and staff expenses since the hotline was shut down in August.
The hotline shutdown is the most recent act in a years-long pattern of retaliatory harassment & interference with FFI’s work. Last month, ICE suspended an FFI visitation program at the @etowahcounty Detention Center less than 2 days after FFI members & others held a rally outside
Today we've also obtained a letter from over 100 men at Etowah detailing the conditions they face in detention as well as how much they miss the visitation program.
freedomforimmigrants.org/news/2019/12/1…
The bottom line is ICE is trying to punish immigrants in detention and our organization because we are unveiling to the world what it is really like to be in ICE custody.
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