EAD Topic Updates
Immigration Detention Reform:
An advocacy success story unfolding.
In 2009, over 400,000 immigrants were detained in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) sites. They include DHS ICE owned and operated Service Processing Centers, privately contracted facilities, and county jails and prisons.
These sites are referred to as detention centers, rather than prisons, because all immigrants in them are detained for civil, not criminal infractions of the law. Those who have a criminal background have served their sentence in a regular prison and on completing the sentence, rather than being released, are detained in anticipation of deportation.
For decades, incidents of abusive practices in detention centers have surfaced and advocates have called, when necessary, for a change from penal detention to civil detention. Additionally there has been a call to end the detention of asylum seekers – persons who fled persecution in their homeland, only to be incarcerated in the U.S.
Advocates across the country developed a strong network and have been in conversation with immigration officials for years seeking changes in detention policies. Recently, those advocates have seen positive results as DHS ICE committed itself to Immigration Detention Reform on October 6, 2009.
The site http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/press_ice_detention_reform_fact_sheet.pdf provides information on detention reform and the movement to civil detention.
As of January 4, 2010, DHS ICE has halted the detention of asylum seekers deemed to have credible fear of persecution should they be returned to their home country. Also, the review of all detention sites has begun, as the development of civil detention sites begins.
Advocates are directly involved in this process as DHS ICE and the NGO advocacy community have developed a number of working groups (which meet regularly) to make this transition a joint NGO/DHS process. Where there remains much work to be done, these actions directly result from years of work on the part of dedicated advocates who are directly responsible for present and pending positive changes in immigration detention.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days celebrates this positive development in the on-going efforts to effect global peace with justice for Immigrants, Refugees, and Displaced Persons.
Climate Legislation Update
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works committee, is expected to release a bill on climate change legislation next week, giving new energy to the Senate climate debate that has largely stalled since June.
Related hearings and mark ups are tentatively scheduled to begin in the first half of October. The draft Boxer bill is likely to include an increase in the cuts in carbon emissions for 2020 from the 17 percent in the House bill to 20 percent, funding for clean coal and low carbon energy technologies and, perhaps, an increase in international adaptation funding beyond the amount in the House version.
The final bill will almost certainly need to find 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. In the meantime crucial support must be sought from coal-state Democrats such as Max Baucus of Montana and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) noted that a key strategy is to continue working to build the 60-vote coalition. Cardin notes that, though not yet attained, “there are a lot of potential senators who could be part of that 60.”
It is crucial at this juncture to encourage your senators to re-engage in the climate debate and bring forth consequential legislation this year. For more information on the status of climate legislation and to take action on this issue now see the links below.
http://nccecojustice.org/resources/index.php#climateandenergyresources