THE PROBLEM
The Constitution upholds the protection of civil liberties and human rights for all people in the U.S. However since 9/11, there has been a steady and alarming erosion of the human rights and civil liberties of many people living in the U.S, particularly immigrants. In response, the Rights Working Group launched the Hold the Department of Homeland Security Accountable! campaign calling for an end to immigration enforcement policies that violate due process protections and other basic rights guaranteed by our Constitution.
THE ISSUES
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regularly conducts warrantless and aggressive raids on homes and workplaces to round up hundreds of immigrants, often sweeping up legal residents and citizens. Raid victims are often detained without access to counsel or a phone call to contact family members.
Individuals detained by DHS, including vulnerable populations like the elderly, infirm, refugees and children, are being held in inhumane and overcrowded conditions often without charges for months and even years.
There have been massive naturalization backlogs caused by FBI security name checks that appear to be linked to race, religion, or national origin and not due to any evidence of wrongdoing. In May 2007, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service Ombudsman reported that 329,000 naturalization applications were significantly delayed due to FBI security name checks.
THE SOLUTION
DHS Enforcement Practices
The Hold DHS Accountable! campaign is urging President-Elect Obama to place a moratorium on current immigration enforcement policies that deny due process in order to conduct a top to bottom review of these policies and programs. The goal is to establish enforceable standards that will ensure that U.S. immigration enforcement practices uphold the due process and human rights of citizens and non-citizens alike. In particular, the Rights Working Group is calling on DHS to:
- End immigration raids that lock up people without due process and
- Stop inhumane detention conditions and arbitrary imprisonment without trial.
Backlogs
Rights Working Group members and allies played a critical role in pressuring DHS to make significant progress on processing hundreds of thousands of naturalization applications delayed by name checks. As a result of this advocacy, DHS cut the number of applications delayed by 90 percent, reducing the number from 329,000 to 30,000. However, there is still a need to create efficient and transparent mechanisms to ensure that, in the future, all eligible immigrants can attain citizenship in a timely manner.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Is your community new to the issues?
Organize a Night of 1,000 Conversations to foster dialogue and educate community members about these problems. The Night of 1,000 Conversations is the public education component for the Hold DHS Accountable! campaign. Register to host a conversation.
Sign a Petition to President-Elect Obama (December 08-January 09)
From the ground up we need to ensure our voices are heard and that changes in DHS immigration enforcement practices protect Constitutional and human rights. Sign a petition to President-Elect Obama urging him to place a moratorium on current immigration enforcement policies in order to conduct a full review of DHS policies and programs to ensure that they are compliant with Constitutional protections and internationally recognized human rights standards. To sign the petition, click here. Deadline: January 25, 2009.
Organize Locally
The ramifications of DHS policies are local. People all over the country suffer the consequences of raids on their communities and see people they know locked up without due process and often in inhumane detention conditions. In order to impact DHS policies nationally we need to organize locally. Work locally to organize your community to stop raids, inhumane detention conditions and hold your local ICE office accountable. Contact Pabitra Benjamin at pbenajmin@rightsworkinggroup.org or 202-296-2300 ext 130 for more information.
To ensure that our issues are heard, the Rights Working Group will be working with other national and local organizations such as the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and Detention Watch Network (DWN) in coordination with our Field Coordinator organizations to implement the Hold DHS Accountable! campaign. We are working collectively to incorporate local campaigns seeking direct outcomes for communities impacted by DHS violations into national advocacy efforts aimed at reforming bad laws and policies. Contact Pabitra Benjamin at pbenajmin@rightsworkinggroup.org or 202-296-2300 ext 130 for more information.