BREAKING: U.S. House of Representatives Approves Federal Budget Amendment to Prevent Transfer of Disaster Relief Funds to ICE

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a federal budget amendment introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal and drafted with the support of Freedom for Immigrants to halt the growth of U.S. immigration detention. Specifically, the amendment to the FY19 supplemental appropriations prohibits the government from transferring disaster relief funds to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the purpose of building or expanding immigration detention facilities.

Freedom for Immigrants Wins Victory for Family & Public Access to San Diego’s Immigrant Prison

Private prison company CCA/CoreCivic will no longer require approved visitor lists as a condition for visiting detained immigrants at the Otay Mesa Detention Center (OMDC) in San Diego, CA. The move marks a significant victory for visitation access at the privately operated facility, which houses more than 1,000 people, many of whom are recent asylum seekers.