Our Voices
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VT Digger: Nikhil Goyal and Kerry Kennedy: Vermont can show that we can be smart on crime by treating youth like youth
Tags Share In a recent VTDigger commentary, Founder of RFK Human rights Kerry Kennedy and sociologist Nikhil Goyal highlight Vermont’s progressive juvenile justice reforms, particularly the “Raise the Age” law. This legislation allows individuals under age 20 to be tried in juvenile court for certain offenses, emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment. The authors argue that such…
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WBUR: Poor conditions at Louisiana ICE detention center holding Tufts student, advocates say
Tags Share WBUR has reported, former detainees have described punitive and unsanitary conditions at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, where a Turkish Tufts University student, Öztürk, is being held. In an August 2024 report, Anthony Enriquez—vice president of U.S. advocacy and litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights—warned that Öztürk faces the…
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CNN: Why ICE is really moving detainees over a thousand miles from where they were arrested
Tags Share According to CNN, Georgetown fellow Badar Khan Suri was arrested outside his Virginia home on March 17, launching a week-long ICE detention across multiple states and over 1,000 miles. An Indian national on a visa, Suri faced isolation and harsh conditions emblematic of a system that, according to a 2024 Robert F. Kennedy…
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The Guardian: Was the Supreme Court’s deportation ruling a win for Trump or immigrants?
Tags Share The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can use the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport certain Venezuelan immigrants—but emphasized that due process must be upheld. Trump called it a win, though critics dubbed it a pyrrhic victory. Immigration advocates, including the ACLU, claimed success, noting the court affirmed individuals’ right…
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Kansas Reflector: CoreCivic plans for ICE facility in Kansas have generated public opposition. It’s plowing ahead.
Tags Share Writing in the Kansas Reflector, our legal fellow Medha Raman and two co-authors denounce the private prison company CoreCivic’s attempts to reopen a notorious Leavenworth jail as an immigration detention facility. The authors highlight CoreCivic’s past failures in the Leavenworth community and the long record of abuse at other CoreCivic-operated ICE facilities across the country. Read…
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University of Dayton human rights award to honor Kerry Kennedy
Tags Share The University of Dayton’s Human Rights Center will honor Kerry Kennedy with the Oscar Romero Human Rights Award for her 40-year commitment to global human rights advocacy. Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, has worked extensively to support human rights defenders worldwide. The award ceremony is scheduled for April 20 at…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Trump’s Attacks On Press Freedom Are Paving The Way For Authoritarianism A leading global democracy research institute says democratic “backsliding” must be turned around quickly—warning that after 10 years, recovery is “close to impossible.” In 2024, the Democrats ran on the catchphrase “We are not going back.” Even after the party’s resounding defeat,…
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Latest Hearing: Leonela Zelaya v. Honduras
Interested in international advocacy and litigation? Subscribe to the Justice Roundup newsletter to get more of the latest on international human rights, delivered straight to your inbox. Tags Share On March 25, RFK Human Rights’ International advocacy and litigation team joined partners from the Red Lésbica Cattrachas as co-counsel in the latest hearing before the…
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Arusha Initiative Hosts Second Town Hall
Sign up to get the latest on the Arusha Initiative and African human rights news. Subscribe to the Justice Roundup newsletter for our advocacy and litigation newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Tags Share On March 26, the Arusha Initiative held its second virtual Town Hall. Participants discussed the importance of transparency and accountability within…
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Verite News: Legal guide uses immigration work in Louisiana to educate advocates around the country
Tags Share Last month, RFK Human Rights, the Acacia Center for Justice, and the ACLU of Louisiana published a new guide that trains attorneys, advocates, and grassroots organizations on how to provide legal services in immigration detention facilities. Speaking with Verite News, our VP of U.S. Advocacy & Litigation Anthony Enriquez describes the purpose of…
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Boston Globe: Detained Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk was one of several sent by ICE to Louisiana. Here’s why.
Tags Share Following the arrest of Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk, the Boston Globe reports on Öztürk’s detention in a notorious Louisiana ICE facility. Referencing the long history of abuse at the facility, the Globe cites RFK Human Rights’ 2024 “Inside the Black Hole” report, which exposed widespread physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect,…
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Al Jazeera: Mahmoud Khalil case—Judge rules activist’s case can remain in New Jersey
Tags Share Speaking with Al Jazeera, our client Daniel Cortes De La Valle recounts his experience in a notorious Louisiana ICE facility – the same facility where student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil is currently detained. While detained in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, Daniel was subjected to horrific abuse, including severe medical neglect, denial…
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