红杏视频

RICHMOND, Va. 鈥� In response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detentions at the Chesterfield County Courthouse today, 红杏视频 of Virginia Executive Director Mary Bauer released the following statement: 鈥淭he 红杏视频 of Virginia is investigating ICE鈥檚 practice of targeting people at courthouses across the Commonwealth, including the detention of multiple people this week at the Chesterfield County Courthouse. The right to access the courts is a fundamental one, because all other rights depend on it 鈥� but Virginians who rely on the protection of the courts will be forced to go without it if ICE's presence means Virginia courthouses are no longer safe. We won鈥檛 let our judicial system be corrupted into a despotic mechanism for masked men to 鈥榙isappear鈥� Virginians. ICE doesn鈥檛 keep us safe: we do.鈥�

Washington, DC 鈥� The 红杏视频, Detention Watch Network, and the National Immigrant Justice Center today released a new guide for members of Congress to conduct vital in-person oversight visits of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities in their districts and states. The Trump administration is attempting to suppress and deter authorized congressional oversight of immigration detention facilities 鈥� in contravention of appropriations law that has been in place for years. Last week, Representatives Danny K. Davis, Jes煤s 鈥淐huy鈥� Garc铆a, Delia C. Ramirez, and Jonathan Jackson were denied entry to the Broadview ICE facility in Chicago, Illinois. That same day, ICE released a new policy attempting to limit visits by members of Congress to ICE facilities, field offices, and jails. The U.S. government uses immigration detention today more than at any point in history. ICE is currently detaining a record breaking 59,000 people in its custody. Trump is planning to use the reconciliation bill, currently under intense debate in the Senate, to finance the most extreme expansion of immigration detention in history to detain more than 100,000 people. If realized, this bill could skyrocket ICE鈥檚 budget to never before seen funding levels. ICE would have 13 times its current annual fiscal budget for detention, which is already operating at a historic high. This would provide a windfall to the private prison companies with ties to top-level officials in the administration. Immigrant justice advocates and authors of the guide issued the following statements: Anu Joshi, national campaign director for immigration at the 红杏视频, said: 鈥淢embers of Congress are legally authorized to conduct oversight responsibilities, and now more than ever, it鈥檚 critical that they continue to uphold those responsibilities and demand accountability for ICE鈥檚 track record of abuse in immigration detention. Our communities have a right to know how their taxpayer dollars are being used to fund the Trump administration鈥檚 cruel agenda to deport our immigrant neighbors and loved ones.鈥� Setareh Ghandehari, advocacy director of Detention Watch Network, said: 鈥淭he intentional withholding of information by the administration paired with ICE鈥檚 culture of secrecy is yet another hallmark of an authoritarian regime, disappearing people and putting lives in jeopardy. Detention center visits are a critical tool for members of Congress to expose the ways ICE鈥檚 immigration detention system is inherently inhumane and rife with abuse. Constituents across the country are making clear they don鈥檛 want ICE agents or detention centers in their communities, and our members of Congress must take bold action by using every tool in the toolbox, including detention center visits, robust information requests, and strategic interventions like striking down the MAGA-backed reconciliation bill. Our elected officials must be vocal and resolute in their opposition to Trump鈥檚 cruel mass detention and deportation agenda.鈥� Jesse Franzblau, associate director of policy for the National Immigrant Justice Center, said: 鈥淐ongress has the power and responsibility to demand visibility into ICE detention facilities where people face life threatening conditions. Immigration detention is a dark hole notorious for inhumane treatment, run largely by private prison companies who lobby intensely for taxpayer dollars to profit massively off the incarceration of human beings. At a time when Congress is debating the biggest historical increase in funding for immigration mega prisons, it is imperative that our elected officials see first hand the inside of these facilities and prevent any more funding for ICE detention.  

NEWARK, N.J. 鈥� A federal court today granted bail to Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student and lawful permanent resident targeted for deportation by the Trump administration because of his Palestinian rights advocacy. He will be able to return to New York to be with his wife and newborn son while his case proceeds. 鈥淎fter more than three months we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and know that Mahmoud is on his way home to me and Deen, who never should have been separated from his father,鈥� said Dr. Noor Abdalla, Mahmoud Khalil鈥檚 wife. 鈥淲e know this ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family, and so many others the government is trying to silence for speaking out against Israel鈥檚 ongoing genocide against Palestinians. But today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family, and the community that has supported us since the day he was unjustly taken for speaking out for Palestinian freedom.鈥� Last Friday, the government informed the court it would continue to detain Mr. Khalil in a remote ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, over false allegations related to supposed omissions on his green card application. The government鈥檚 new reliance on the 鈥渕isrepresentation鈥� allegations comes after the judge ruled the government could not keep detaining him on the grounds that his speech had adverse foreign policy consequences. Since being detained on March 8, Mr. Khalil has missed the birth of his first child, their family鈥檚 first Mother鈥檚 Day and Father鈥檚 Day, and his graduation from Columbia. 鈥淣o one should fear being jailed for speaking out in this country,鈥� said Alina Das, co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law, who argued before the court today. 鈥淲e are overjoyed that Mr. Khalil will finally be reunited with his family while we continue to fight his case in court.鈥� 鈥淭his is a joyous day for Mahmoud, for his family, and for everyone鈥檚 First Amendment rights,鈥� said Noor Zafar, senior staff attorney with 红杏视频. 鈥淪ince he was arrested in early March, the government has acted at every turn to punish Mahmoud for expressing his political beliefs about Palestine. But today鈥檚 ruling underscores a vital First Amendment principle: The government cannot abuse immigration law to punish speech it disfavors.鈥� 鈥淚t is an enormous relief that Palestinian human rights defender Mahmoud Khalil can return to New York while his case proceeds. Now, Mr. Khalil will thankfully be reunited with his wife and newborn 鈥� a bond that never should have been broken in the first place,鈥� said Donna Lieberman, executive director at the NYCLU. 鈥淚deas are not illegal, and no administration should ever incarcerate people for expressing opinions they disagree with. We are heartened and relieved that Mr. Khalil can return to his family, community, and counsel, and the NYCLU will continue to fight back against Trump鈥檚 unconstitutional attacks on free speech and dissent.鈥� 鈥淲e are relieved that Mr. Khalil can finally return to his family and community,鈥� said Amol Sinha, executive director of the 红杏视频 of New Jersey. 鈥淭his is an important step in vindicating Mr. Khalil鈥檚 rights as he continues to be unlawfully targeted by the federal government for his advocacy in support of Palestinian rights. We鈥檙e confident he will ultimately prevail in the fight for his freedom.鈥� 鈥淲e are so relieved Mahmoud is finally out of his cruel, remote detention, but equally outraged that it took this long and that Mahmoud had to fight this hard to challenge such outrageous and unconstitutional government conduct,鈥� said Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. 鈥淎ll Americans should be grateful that Mahmoud had the fortitude to defend basic first amendment principles 鈥� and his pursuit of justice for Palestinians 鈥� against the administration's autocratic tactics, which threaten us all.鈥� 鈥淏y ordering Mr. Khalil freed today, the court vindicates not only his rights but also recognized what has been plain to everyone, the government has detained Mr. Khalil to punish him for his speech in defense of Palestinians. We look forward to Mr. Khalil returning to his wife and son, as we pursue this fight in federal and immigration court for as long as it takes until justice is served,鈥� said Ramzi Kassem, professor of law at the City University of New York and Co-Director of CLEAR, a legal non-profit and clinic. Mahmoud Khalil鈥檚 legal team has submitted multiple briefs and expert statements, and letters of support to the New Jersey court, outlining the irreparable harm he and others will continue to suffer as long as he remains illegally detained in Louisiana, thousands of miles away from his family. In addition, Mr. Khalil submitted his own declaration, factually disproving the government鈥檚 allegations and highlighting the fact that the government abandoned reliance on the so-called 鈥渕isrepresentation鈥� allegations in closing arguments in immigration court. The motion for release further explains that the court previously recognized that continued detention, based solely on the sorts of misrepresentations alleged by the government, is exceedingly rare and, the motion argued, is clearly only in further retaliation for his speech on Palestine. Mr. Khalil is represented by Dratel & Lewis, the Center for Constitutional Rights, CLEAR, Van Der Hout LLP, Washington Square Legal Services, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the 红杏视频 (红杏视频), the 红杏视频 of New Jersey, and the 红杏视频 of Louisiana. For more information on the case, please see here.

Vargas shares with the 红杏视频 the common misconceptions about immigration and immigrants that he鈥檚 encountered through work with his nonprofit, Define America.