Thread by @Das_Alina

What’s the NY #DignityNotDetention Act? Why do immigrants, organizers, and advocates support it? How can you get involved? A thread…

There’s a long history of counties and private prison corporations entering contracts with ICE to lock up New Yorkers who are trying to fix their civil immigration status. Today, several counties in NYS have active contracts renting jail beds to ICE:
thenyic.pi.bypronto.com/2/wp-content/u…

While there are currently no private immigration prisons in NYS, at least one private prison corporation in NYC is actively exploring the idea of contracting with ICE: queenseagle.com/all/private-qu…

And ICE put out official requests to explore more detention in the NY/NJ area: northjersey.com/story/news/new…

Why is all of this a problem? First of all, immigration detention is deadly. More than 200 people have died in detention over the last two decades, with deaths skyrocketing in 2020. cato.org/blog/21-people…

It’s become even more deadly in the pandemic. All of the ICE jails in NYS have experienced COVID-19 outbreaks. ICE is constantly moving people in & out of its contract facilities with no accountability. That’s why it’s considered a superspreader agency. washingtonpost.com/opinions/ice-i…

Even before COVID-19, medical treatment in immigration detention was horrific, and the pandemic just re-exposed all its flaws. Those who survive immigration detention still experience severe physical and mental health trauma. nylpi.org/wp-content/upl…

Immigration detention is cruel AND unjust. People in detention are separated from their families and communities, making it harder to fight their cases. This continues under the Biden Administration and affects NY families every day. nbcnews.com/news/latino/si…

I've seen it with our clinic's own incredible clients, like "Aba" whose story of trauma and resilience I profile in my book, #NoJusticeInTheShadows. She spent six months in Orange County Jail in Goshen, NY. Her four children suffered the most from ICE's decision to detain her.

Study and after study shows that immigration detention harms not only the individual in detention, but their families outside detention, who struggle economically and emotionally from the trauma of separation. This is the legacy of immigration detention. kff.org/racial-equity-…

That’s why leading organizations like @DetentionWatch and @ACLU have called on the Biden administration to start shutting down immigration detention facilities.
aclu.org/press-releases…
detentionwatchnetwork.org/sites/default/…

But we can’t afford to wait for federal action. The situation is so urgent that people in detention have resorted to hunger strikes, risking their lives so that the world will pay attention to what they are experiencing and fight for their freedom today. npr.org/2020/12/27/948…

That’s why states like CA, WA, IL, & MD have put forward #DignityNotDetention bills to curb detention locally while also putting pressure on the federal government to end detention nationally. NYS is joining this movement. thenation.com/article/politi…

The NY #DignityNotDetention Act will end local county contracts with ICE and prohibit private immigration detention in NYS. Thank you to lead sponsors @SalazarSenate and @KarinesReyes87 and to all of our elected leaders who are supporting this legislation.
nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_f…

Join the coalition supporting the NY #DignityNotDetention Act. We are proud to join @abolishICE_nynj @migrantfreedom @QueerDEP @nysylc @theCCR @nycDSA @surjnyc @rocRRN @unlocal @bronxdefenders @legalaidnyc @bklyndefender @nylag @bkbailfund @C_Resistance & more

And take action. Check out the toolkit and reach out to your state representatives today!