WASHINGTON DC – Two hundred immigrants and allies will gather at the headquarters of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to lift up demands to #WelcomeWithDignity as the Department of Homeland Security is expected to release guidance to ICE regarding enforcement before the end of the month.
The activists call for DHS to maximize prosecutorial discretion and eliminate categorical priorities for deportations. The groups will have directly impacted people who have been harmed by the prior and current enforcement guidance – and whose stories will reveal the injustice of judging an individual by one label, without acknowledgment of the full worth, dignity, and contributions of each human being.
WHAT: People, not Priorities for Deportation Rally
WHEN: TODAY, August 10 @ 12 pm
WHERE: ICE HQ, 500 12th Street, S.W
WHO: Families whose loved ones have been deported as well as immigrants and activists from CASA, Mijente, Detention Watch Network, FIRM, We Are Home
VISUALS: Participants will form a circle and will include “frames” with messages including sister, colleague, mother, etc.) to refocus the issue on our faces, our stories, and our human dignity. Cameras can capture a live shot with a spokesperson or immigrant affected by deportation.
MORE: Eight months into the Biden administration, the White House and DHS have rolled back several of the most egregious Trump deportation policies, but they have yet to issue updated guidance to ICE regarding enforcement. Although DHS has said that its priorities are based on enhancing “public safety” what these categories really do is help to tear communities and families apart. Despite bold promises for transformational change at ICE, the current priorities look very much like those of the past – penalizing individuals based on an arbitrary date when they entered the country, criminal history of any kind, alleged gang affiliation (often without any concrete evidence, let alone a criminal conviction), or an old deportation order that was often issued in absentia, giving them no opportunity for due process.
Immigrants are each more than just an immigration file or record. The Biden administration must put people first and minimize the harm of deportation to our families and our communities. The groups are demanding that the updated priorities place meaningful limits on ICE, ensuring that community members receive a holistic analysis of their case and that there is a presumption against deportation for individuals with strong ties to the United States or other equities.
