Protect Due Process Rights for Immigrants
By MUUSJN on Wednesday, January 15th, 2025
From the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):
The U.S. Senate is about to vote on a bill (H.R. 29 – Laken Riley Act) mandating the detention of thousands of immigrants, including longtime residents, without any due process or justification. This bill requires the detention, potentially for years, of people who pose no risk to their communities for nonviolent offenses like shoplifting diapers – even if they were never charged, even if the alleged offense was decades ago, and even when ICE itself does not believe they pose a danger or flight risk.
The murderer of Laken Riley was rightfully prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but that violent crime should not result in something as minor as an unconfirmed shoplifting accusation, with no charge or conviction, to require detention by the government, particularly when immigration authorities have already ruled it unnecessary. As noted by the National Immigration Law Center, “the Department of Homeland Security already has statutory authority to detain any undocumented person facing deportation proceedings including those charged with a criminal offense. What the bill does is apply ‘mandatory detention,’ requiring detention without any opportunity to even request release on bond.”
This is the first immigration bill of the new Congress. We must set a clear precedent that bills which violate due process rights should not pass. Instead, Congress must ensure rational means for determining when a person should be detained, with due process. Your Senator could make the difference between this bill passing or failing – the difference between families torn apart for the profit of the private prison industry or a commitment to common sense values of humanity and justice.
Action – Make two phone calls:
- Senator Gary Peters: (202) 224-6221
- Senator Elissa Slotkin: (202)-224-4822
Sample call script (please personalize this message as it relates to your family or community)
Hello Senator [Peters / Slotkin], My name is _____. My zip code is ______ in Michigan. As a constituent, I urge you to vote NO on the Laken Riley Act, H.R. 29 in its current form. This bill will open the way for cruel mass detention and deportation of immigrants. It will strip immigrants, including longtime residents and Dreamers, of a fair review and could force them to be held indefinitely in detention. Please vote NO on this harmful bill in its current form.
Click here for additional information about this bill from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Category: News |