Nationwide Actions to Decry Deaths in Immigration Cages, Demand Justice
NEW ORLEANS 鈥撎�The Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition announced a nationwide Day of Action (12 hours) in response to the continued premature and avoidable deaths of community members held in immigration cages. Events will take place July 22-24.听
Recent deaths include:听听in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in June, eight-year-old听听in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody in May, 补苍诲听听in ICE detention in April. During the Day of Action, families, communities and advocates will demand justice and accountability from the Biden administration, which continues to break its promise to roll back federal contracts with private prison companies. Abusive and deadly examples of private prison facilities contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for ICE include:
- , where Vargas died, is one of the听补苍诲听ICE detention centers in the country run by CoreCivic in Lumpkin, Georgia.听
听 - Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center,听, is a GEO Group-run facility in Jena, Louisiana, which was previously operated as a juvenile prison by the same company (under the name Wackenhut Corp.). In 2000,听听after the听, including numerous sexual assaults, prolonged solitary confinement in life-threatening conditions and excessive use of force.
听 - , where听, is a LaSalle Corrections-run facility in Winnfield, Louisiana that DHS鈥檚 Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties听.听
听 - 听is a CoreCivic-run facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where in 2007, 52-year-old Guinean father and tailor, Boubacar Bah, was detained before he died. Records later revealed that听听before an ambulance was called. Yet, this week听听in its听听to keep the facility open in contradiction to widely-supported legislation to end private prison contracts in the state.
WHO:听Southeast Dignity Not Detention (SDND) Coalition and Community Partners.
The SDND Coalition is a group of immigrants, children of immigrants, advocates, organizers, legal workers, justice seekers and community members who share resources, organize and take action together to end the caging and surveilling of people in the southeastern region of the U.S. This includes seeking the permanent closure of all immigration detention centers run by private prison companies and localities under the authority of the New Orleans ICE Field Office
WHAT:听12 Hours of Action 鈥� learn more听
WHEN:听July 22-24 event list听
WHERE:听Virtual and in the following cities (events listed in chronological order):
Miami, Florida
- July 22, Vigil at 11:00 a.m. CST, outside Krome Detention Center: 18201 SW 12th St, Miami, FL
New Orleans, Louisiana听
- July 23, Vigil at 7:30 p.m. CST, outside Louis Armstrong Park, Rampart St & Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA听
- July 24. Protest at 7:30 a.m. CST at NOLA ICE: 1250 Poydras St., New Orleans, LA听
San Antonio, Texas
- July 23. Vigil at 7:30 p.m. CST, Main Plaza, 115 N Main Ave, San Antonio, TX听
Shreveport, Louisiana
- July 23. Vigil at 7:30 p.m. CST at Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas St, Shreveport, LA听
Washington, D.C.
- July 23. Vigil at 7:30 p.m. EST at Lafayette Square: H St NW &, 16th St NW, Washington, DC听
Elizabeth, New Jersey听
- July 23. Vigil at 7:30 p.m. EST at Elizabeth Detention: 625 Evans St, Elizabeth, NJ听
- July 24. Protest at 12:00 p.m. EST at County Courthouse: 2 Broad Street, Elizabeth NJ听
Atlanta, Georgia
- July 24, Rally at 11 a.m. EST at Atlanta ICE: 180 Ted Turner Dr SW, Atlanta, GA
Lafayette, Louisiana
- July 24. Vigil at 7:30 p.m. CST, Rosa Parks Transportation Center, 100 Lee Ave, LA
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