He's one of the immigrants released from ICE detention because of our COVID-19 litigation.
Souleymane came to the US 11 years ago because his life was in danger in his home country of Mali.
His wife is a lawful permanent resident, and he has three daughters — all of whom are US citizens.
His application for asylum was denied several years ago, but ICE was unable to secure travel documents to deport him to Mali.
So they released him to live with his family instead, asking him to regularly check in with ICE.
Souleymane did this for almost a decade.
In February 2020, Souleymane was in the middle of his workday as an Uber driver, when he reported for his check-in.
He left his car in the parking lot, thinking this would be a quick trip like usual.
But ICE detained him.
At the peak of the pandemic, ICE wasn't providing masks or sanitizer in detention.
It even required people to pay for their own soap.
Souleymane has pre-existing conditions, and was terrified of contracting COVID-19.
Four months later, Souleymane was released due to litigation we filed with @ACLUofIL.
He's happy to be home with his family, but can no longer work due to an ankle monitor ICE now makes him wear.
This arbitrary detention — during a pandemic — lost Souleymane his livelihood.
"I'm so scared of what will happen when this is all over," he told us.
"11 years and I'm in the same situation. I don't know what else to do. All I want is to get legal status so I can take care of my wife and daughters. I just want to be free and have a better life."
Even though Souleymane and others like him have complied with ICE's terms of release, ICE still has not agreed to allow him and others to remain free once the pandemic ends.
He lives in constant uncertainty.
Read Souleymane's story and those of 18 other people who were released due to our litigation against ICE during the pandemic. aclu.org/report/survivo…
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Teaching students about systemic racism and discrimination people of color and other marginalized groups face in this country is not a “harmful ideology.”
It’s a right protected by the First Amendment.
Recently, Tennessee Republican lawmakers passed a bill to ban teaching critical race theory in schools, threatening to withhold funding from public schools that teach concepts like white privilege.
Banning talk about race and gender issues is a disservice to all students.
All young people, especially students of color, deserve an inclusive education and the right to express themselves around issues such as racism.
BREAKING: Amazon announced it is indefinitely extending its moratorium on sales of face recognition technology to police.
This is a huge win for privacy and is the direct result of years of work by activists and advocates who have shed light on the dangerous use of this flawed technology. #EyesOnAmazon
Other companies must quickly follow suit.
We can’t let dystopian technologies supercharge police abuse and cause further harm to Black and Brown communities.
The Biden administration has approved three Guantánamo prison detainees for transfer or release. nytimes.com/2021/05/17/us/…
It’s encouraging that release or transfer decisions for indefinitely detained Guantánamo prisoners are finally starting, but implementation is also key.
To implement, the Biden administration needs to re-establish a senior position charged with negotiating transfers and actually closing Guantánamo prison.
Today was a big news day out of the Supreme Court.
Let’s talk about four things that happened today, impacting reproductive freedom, jury trials, and warrantless entry in our homes.
The Supreme Court decided to grant Jackson Women’s Health Organization v. Dobbs, which means they will consider a Mississippi abortion ban.
We don’t want to downplay this: Abortion rights are under attack and the case is directly challenging Roe v. Wade.
The Supreme Court today dismissed American Medical Association v. Becerra, which means it is now up to the Biden Administration to ensure patients continue to have access to accessible, high-quality reproductive health care through Title X.
In testimony before a House committee today, Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson defended 287(g) agreements, which tap local law enforcement to conduct federal immigration enforcement.
Here’s why that’s a problem:
As a candidate, Joe Biden pledged to end all 287(g) agreements entered into by Trump — but ICE is openly undercutting that promise, continuing a program that is notorious for racial profiling and undermining public trust.
The 287(g) program has had devastating consequences for communities nationwide, turning local agencies into ICE “force multipliers” to target and instill fear in immigrant communities.