In exceptional cases where supervision may be necessary, alternatives to detention should be employed. These include the use of refugee accommodation centers, ankle-bracelet monitoring and supervised release programs.

"If these individuals have been working in the United States and living in the United States and contributing to our economy, then why would our government just haul everyone off to a detention center? Allow families to be families!" — Lisa, wife of a detainee

A Call to Action

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is advocating for the following policy changes:

1. Conditions of detention should be humane and respectful of human dignity. Immigration reform legislation should ensure safe and humane detention conditions and the fair and dignified treatment of detained individuals.
2. Prison facilities and jails should never be used for immigrant detention, particularly in the case of those who, in seeking asylum, are exercising a right guaranteed by U.S. and international law.
3. Detainees must have the right to access legal, social, medical, spiritual and other support services. Detention standards must be mandatory and must apply to all facilities in which immigrants are detained.
4. Alternatives to detention should be explored and implemented, especially for asylum seekers and vulnerable individuals, and for those who have substantial ties to the community or U.S. citizen family members.
5. No one whose freedom does not pose a serious threat to the United States should be detained.

 

The Human Cost of US Immigration Detention