Yulio Castro-Garrido died of pneumonia on Jan. 30 at only 33 years old, leaving behind a community outraged and in mourning. Part of what makes Castro-Garrido’s death so outrageous is that it happened while (or perhaps because) he was in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Not many 33 year olds die of pneumonia… [Read More]
Unacceptable conditions at Georgia immigration facilities
Nelson Francisco Perdomo-Vaidez’s left arm gives him such intense pins-and-needles pain that he can’t sleep, and it swells and turns purple if it isn’t kept elevated. At least two doctors agree that he needs to see a specialist or he will face serious risks of complications — including losing functionality in his hand and arm…. [Read More]
Two more deaths highlight inhumane ICE detention centers
On both Monday and Tuesday this week, immigrants died in ICE facilities in Georgia. This comes only weeks after multiple groups published reports detailing the dangerous conditions of immigrant detention centers in Georgia and around the country. In early May, Human Rights Watch and Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC) published reports showing… [Read More]
Anti-immigrant bills at the state house, while resistance builds statewide
Last Thursday, ‘A Day Without Immigrants,’ protests occurred across the nation, including right here in Georgia. Meanwhile, state legislators are considering proposals (again) to create driver’s licenses that specifically identify immigrants. Students, employees and business owners did not go to school or work, or spend their money going out, as part of ‘A Day Without… [Read More]
Georgia leads the country in deportation rates
As shown in a recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, immigrants at Georgia detention centers are more likely to be deported and less likely to receive bond than the national average. Stewart Detention Center and Irwin County Detention Center are two of the three immigration detention centers in Georgia, both of which experience… [Read More]
Increased immigrant detainments eroding trust in Ga. police
As many counties have decided to renew their “immigration detainment commitments” with ICE, communities have seen arrests and deportations of Hispanics skyrocket. Section 287(g), the 2008 addition to the Immigration and Nationality Act, allows local police officers to arrest and detain undocumented residents that they encounter during regular law-enforcement activity. Across Georgia, people in counties… [Read More]