Immigrants have been swept into detention facilities without a single day in court. Detainees who protest their conditions have been punished with solitary confinement. Detainees have been found dead because of lack of medical care.

The Obama administration has taken some steps to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security does not repeat the injustices that characterized the department under the Bush administration-lack of due process and a blatant disregard for human rights of immigrants. Janet Napolitano, secretary of the DHS, has even launched an investigation into last week’s Bellingham Workplace Raids, in which 28 immigrants were arrested in a manufacturing plant in Bellingham, WA. But we need fundamental reform to ensure that DHS is held accountable to protecting the rights listed in our country’s constitution.

This spring, BORDC and the People’s Campaign for the Constitution are joining with the Detention Watch Network (DWN) and the Rights Working Group (RWG) in their National Week of Action to Hold DHS Accountable this April 8-15. Working together, we can restore the constitutional values of due process and human rights.

What can you do? Organize and register an event in your area. DWN and RWG have provided some ideas:

• Visit Congressional representatives in their home districts to raise awareness for the need for DHS reform.
• Hold vigils outside of local ICE offices or detention facilities.
• Host a community conversation to share the stories of those who have been affected by inhumane and unfair DHS policies.
• Write letters to the editor of your local and regional newspapers to explain the need for DHS reform.

For more information:

Participate in RWG’s conference call on March 19, 2009 at 1pm EST and get help planning your local action.

Contact Pabrita at the Rights Working Group, and be sure to let us know if you’re planning an action, too!

Tags: civil liberties, detention, DHS, immigration

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