Rep. Roybal-Allard Leads Members of Congress in Calling for an End to the Indefinite Detention of Immigrants

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21), Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) and Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) led a group of 20 Members of Congress in writing a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, calling on him to reform his Department's flawed immigration detention policies. The letter follows President Obama's statement yesterday that he intended to use his executive authority to address the worst aspects of America's broken immigration system.

Each year, almost 400,000 immigrants are locked up at U.S. detention facilities, at an annual cost of more than $2 billion to the American taxpayer. Disturbingly, a series of abuses, including beatings, sexual assaults, and management cover-ups have been reported at these facilities.

In their letter to Secretary Johnson, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard and her fellow Members decried the fact that immigrants may currently be held indefinitely in our nation's detention centers without any opportunity to appear before a judge. To correct this troubling lack of due process, they urged Secretary Johnson to provide all immigrants in prolonged detention with a bond hearing within six months of their detention. They also encouraged the Secretary to take steps to allow for greater use of proven Alternatives to Detention (ATD). These measures, including ankle bracelets and telephonic monitoring, offer a more humane, cost-effective option to keep track of vulnerable immigrants. Finally, in an effort to prevent future abuses, the Members called on the Department of Homeland Security to fully implement its most recent detention standards--the 2011 Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS)--at all facilities where immigrants are held.

"It's time to bring our unjust and inhumane approach to immigration enforcement back into line with our American values," said Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard. "This includes ensuring that everyone in our government's custody has access to basic due process. Indefinite detention is contrary to our nation's bedrock legal principles, and it should no longer be a feature of our immigration system. I urge President Obama and Secretary Johnson to make immigration detention reform a priority as they consider badly needed changes to the ways we enforce our immigration laws."

"Our broken detention system is coming at a high cost both to taxpayers and families who are needlessly being ripped apart," said Congressman Bill Foster. "Every year, we spend over $2 billion detaining immigrants when we could be making better use of alternatives to detention that cost anywhere from 70 cents to $17 a day. I am pleased that President Obama will be taking executive action on immigration, and I strongly encourage him to reform our broken detention system."

"After visiting the Northwest Detention Center in my district to speak with detainees on hunger strike, it became clear to me that standards surrounding our detention practices need to be fixed," said Congressman Adam Smith. "Many detainees are fathers or mothers that have committed no crime, yet are being held in unacceptable conditions for a prolonged period of time. With House Republican's refusing to bring up comprehensive immigration reform, we need to act now. I urge President Obama and Secretary Jeh Johnson to encourage Alternatives to Detention and reform our detention system."

Source