Migrant Leaders Host Virtual Press Conference to Call for Ending Immigration Detention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 8, 2022

CONTACTS:

Mynellies Negrón |  (703) 585-6727 | mynellies@communicationsshop.us 

Elyssa Pachico | (503) 347-2329 | epachico@alianzaamericas.org 

WHAT: In light of Congress facing a March 11 deadline to pass the government spending bill, which includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and immigration detention, and as Europe confronts the Ukraine migration crisis, Alianza Americas will host a virtual press conference on its #FreedomForAll campaign. The campaign calls to end the criminalization of migrants, abolish immigration detention, and invest in universal legal representation for migrants.

WHO:

• Oscar Chacón, Executive Director, Alianza Americas 
• Annie Chen, Program Director, Vera Institute of Justice 
• Sarah Cartagena, Senior Policy Analyst, Latino Policy Forum
• Sandra Diaz, Director of Communications, Center for Immigrant Progress 

WHEN: Monday, Mar. 14, at 1:00 p.m. ET | 12:00 p.m. CT | 10:00 a.m. PT

WHERE: Zoom Link https://bit.ly/3MvbHLA

With Congress facing a March 11 deadline to pass the FY2022 government spending bill — which includes DHS and detention funding — Alianza Americas, a network of 55 migrant-led organizations in 18 states, will host a virtual press conference on its #FreedomForAll campaign to call for an end to immigration detention. The campaign is a movement of migrant-led organizations and allies that asserts that freedom is a fundamental human right. It advocates for pursuing a series of policies designed to achieve freedom for migrant and immigrant communities. 

The campaign’s premise is that people who migrate have the right to seek protection and regularize their immigration status without being criminalized, detained, or locked up. As Europe confronts Ukraine’s mass migration crisis, it is more important than ever to have policies that welcome and protect asylum seekers and migrants. A key part of that is ending immigration detention. Instead, Congress must use part of the DHS detention budget to fund a universal legal representation program that guarantees legal counsel to those facing deportation proceedings.

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