Part of the Biden administration’s changes to enforcement policies came with a commitment to a 100-day review of DHS enforcement policies. Biden has already changed DHS policy to focus immigration enforcement on threats to national security or public safety, but thousands of people who were detained under Trump policies remain captive. That deadline will arrive soon, but Immigrations & Customs Enforcement (ICE) hasn’t yet announced a formal process for reviewing cases for everyone currently held in detention.
As Immigration Impact has said, “Immigration detention is traumatic, dangerous, and dehumanizing.” The cost of detention could be used instead on humane and community-based programs that actually serve immigrants, rather than holding thousands of people in massive, overcrowded facilities.
“Nothing is lost by releasing people from the harsh conditions of detention,” Immigration Impact reports. “Studies show that immigrants released from detention still attend their court hearings in high numbers.” There is nothing to gain by holding immigrants in detention, especially when some people are being held for pursuing their rights under asylum law.
If you need an advocate for yourself or a loved one held in immigration detention, call our New Jersey immigration detention attorneys for a confidential consultation: Call (800) 909-8129. Let’s discuss your options and how we can help.
