Arbitrary Detention
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Newsweek: Inside the Louisiana Detention Center Where Mahmoud Khalil Is Being Held
Tags Share Palestinian activist and legal permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil remains detained at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center after being apprehended by federal immigration authorities at a university residence. His arrest followed his participation in a 2024 Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University. As activists fight to halt his deportation, Khalil’s fate now lies…
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The New Orleans Advocate: What to Know About Louisiana’s ICE Detention Centers After Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest
Tags Share A Louisiana ICE detention facility made national news this week after Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil was arrested and taken there by federal immigration officials. Khalil, who led pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus, was detained by ICE agents in New York and transferred to Louisiana despite holding a green card. According to the New…
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The New Orleans Advocate: Arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, detention in Jena stir small protest in New Orleans
Tags Share The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist, and his swift transfer to a Louisiana detention facility, prompted New Orleans students and demonstrators to rally Tuesday outside U.S. Rep. Troy Carter’s office. Joining nationwide protests, they opposed the detention of Khalil, a U.S. green card holder. Anthony Enriquez,…
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The Daily News: Civil rights groups sue feds over Buffalo Federal Detention Facility mail privacy
Tags Share The Daily News has reported that three civil rights organizations—including Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights—have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over mail privacy at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility. The suit, announced Monday, targets the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the detention…
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Investigative Post: Lawsuit: ICE violating First Amendment in Batavia
Tags Share A lawsuit filed on March 10th alleges that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at the Batavia detention center routinely open, read, and copy detainees’ legal mail, violating their First Amendment rights. Filed by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in coordination with fellow human rights groups, the suit argues that these practices undermine…
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Letter to the U.N. Secretary-General in Advance of His Visit to Bangladesh
Tags Share His Excellency António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations Dear Secretary-General: As human rights organizations, we write to respectfully urge you to do everything in your power to provide U.N. support to Bangladesh during this critical period in the country’s political transition. Bangladesh is now undergoing unprecedented changes following widespread protests that led to…
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The Chicago Tribune: An unsafe environment
Tags Share Writing in The Chicago Tribune, our Program Director of Human Rights Education Karen Robinson denounces President Trump’s plans to expand ICE raids on school grounds. She highlights the consequences of this policy for students and calls for a return to our foundational principles – universal education in a safe environment. Read the full…
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Investigative Post: ICE abuse of Detainees in Batavia Facility
Tags Share Recently released federal audits of ICE detention facilities in Batavia have exposed the inhumane and abusive treatment of detainees by facility guards. The 2023 audit detailed excessive force and deplorable living conditions within the center. In addition, former detainees have spoken out, leading 40 individuals to file a civil rights complaint with the…
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Newsweek: Full List of Democrats Who Voted To Pass Laken Riley Act
Tags Share After passing The Laken Riley Act in the House, the United States Congress is empowering an already aggressive anti-immigrant administration by opening a path to criminalize, detain, and deport large numbers of people while stripping them of their due process rights. Speaking with Newsweek, our VP of U.S. Advocacy & Litigation, Anthony Enriquez,…
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Common Dreams: Corruption in Plain Sight: AOC Warns Laken Riley Act a Boon to Private Prison Industry
Tags Share “That would likely mean tens of billions in taxpayer funds sent to private prison companies. They are salivating.” In an article revealing the private prison industry’s profit-driven interest in the Laken Riley Act, Common Dreams highlights a piece by our VP of U.S. Advocacy, Anthony Enriquez, exposing how private prisons stand to gain…
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NPR Atlanta: Laken Riley Act
Tags Share Speaking with Atlanta NPR, our VP of U.S. Advocacy & Litigation, Anthony Enriquez discusses the potential impacts of the Laken Riley Act and the significant federal funding it would require—far exceeding the resources allocated to other essential federal programs. Further, Enriquez addresses the widespread human rights violations in detention centers. Continue listening here.
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Mother Jones: He Came to the US at Six and Was Deported by Trump. Now, He’s Stuck in Sierra Leone.
Tags Share “All I know is these American cities. All I know is Washington, DC.” Samuel Anthony, who moved from Sierra Leone to the U.S. at age 6, became one of nearly 360,000 immigrants deported in 2019 under the Trump administration due to a decades-old drug conviction. Now 52, he faces the prospect of mass…
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