GRAHAM, N.C. - Earlier today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced plans to significantly scale back its use of three detention facilities, including the Alamance County Detention Facility in Graham, N.C., citing concerns about conditions. ICE will limit its use of the Alamance County facility to shorter stays of less than 72 hours and end its previous practice of holding detainees in the Alamance facility for longer periods. In addition, ICE will close the Etowah detention facility in Alabama.
Stefania Arteaga, Regional Immigrants' Rights Strategist for the ACLU of North Carolina, issued the following response after the announcement:
“For years, immigrant advocates and community members have raised the alarm about the horrific conditions, reports of abuse, and serious medical neglect at the Alamance County jail, which reflect the broader anti-immigrant agenda of Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson.
“Detention itself is simply cruel and unnecessary, and limiting the capacity of immigration detention centers is not enough. Every day that these facilities remain open jeopardizes the lives of people detained there. That’s why we are calling on the Biden administration to stop detaining immigrants in its custody at the Alamance County Detention Facility and end the voluntary federal 287(g) program, which allows local police to collaborate with ICE.”
A statement from ACLU Deputy National Political Director Maribel Hernández Rivera is also available here.
