Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)
SEATTLE, WA — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, released the following statement regarding the release of Juan, a detained immigrant she met with at the Northwest Detention Center last week.
“I’m thrilled to announce that ICE has released Juan, a single father of a U.S. citizen child, from the Northwest Detention Center after detaining him there for 46 days.
“Juan was one of the detainees I insisted on meeting with when I was at the NW Detention Center last week. Despite having a signed privacy release waiver from Juan, ICE tried to block me from meeting with him. I refused to leave and finally met with him during public visitation hours. Juan shared with me the details of his horrifying detention. Juan has lived and worked in the United States for over 20 years, when ICE stopped him while driving for no apparent reason other than that he was Latino. Juan is the sole caregiver of an eight-year-old U.S. citizen daughter, who has suffered numerous medical procedures and requires specialized care. While detained, Juan was hospitalized, taken to the emergency room several times, and struggled to obtain necessary medication. Juan broke down in tears, describing how hard it is to be separated from his daughter and afraid for her wellbeing.
“While I am relieved that Juan is reunited with his daughter tonight, my heart goes out to the tens of thousands of men, women, and children who remain incarcerated tonight and separated from their families. For too many individuals, there is absolutely no reason for them to be in detention other than the Trump Administration’s desire to pad the profits of the private prison companies who bank rolled Trump’s election campaign. I’m grateful to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project for representing Juan as well as the many organizations and individuals who support those in detention.
“We have proven, humane solutions like community-based case management to help people navigate the system that have produced 99 percent compliance rates with court appearances. Instead of needlessly detaining sole caregivers and fathers like Juan, we should be passing my Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would support alternatives to detention and overhaul the detention system.”
Issues: Immigration