The U.S. has the largest immigration detention system in the world.
On any given day, over 40,000 children and adults are languishing in immigrant jails and prisons. They don't have access to a court-appointed attorney, a free phone call, or a speedy trial. Many of them are subjected to medical neglect, sexual and physical assault, and other forms of human rights abuses. Two-thirds of people in U.S. immigration detention are in private prisons and the rest are locked up in county and city jails, all of which profit off their misery. The U.S. government and the private prison industry have been exporting immigration detention to governments across the globe. This is unacceptable.
This is why we are fighting for Freedom for Immigrants.
You can, too.
WHO WE ARE
OUR IMPACT
Through our visitation network, hotline, and other initiatives, we are building power together and across borders to end immigration detention.
OUR MISSION & VALUES
We are dedicated to abolishing immigration detention worldwide, while ending the isolation of people currently suffering in this profit-driven system.
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WHAT WE DO
NATIONAL BOND FUND
Detained immigrants sometimes have the opportunity to be released on a cash bond — which is like bail — while fighting their cases. Once bonded out, they are eight times more likely to win their immigration cases. But without the ability to pay a bond, many individuals are forced to languish in immigration detention and away from their loved ones and communities.
That's why we have developed a revolving bond fund to assist families who are simply in need of a loan that may be recycled to help someone else win their freedom in the future.
INTERACTIVE MAP
Our map keeps track of the more than 200 detention facilities in the U.S. as well as the programs in our visitation network. Click on the map to learn more.
Learn why Freedom for Immigrants, formerly known as Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC), changed its name.
FEATURED INVESTIGATIONS
We monitor and document patterns of systemic oppression in detention facilities
Read more about our other Independent Monitoring and Investigations.
STORYTELLING PROJECTS
Our award-winning storytelling projects give people in immigration detention and their allies an opportunity to be heard and tell impactful stories beyond walls and borders. Check out all of our Storytelling Projects.
Imm-PRINT
Every immigrant has a voice.
This is their platform.