Washington, DC — Detention Watch Network applauds the DC District Court’s decision today rendering Title 42 temporarily void. In response to this news, Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network, issued the following statement:
“The end of Title 42 is long-overdue. President Biden promised to put an end to this cruel and racist policy, and with this decision it’s time for him to deliver and fully restore access to asylum without the use of immigration detention.
Immigration detention is already growing at an alarming rate. In just two years, the Biden administration has doubled the number of people in detention and quadrupled the number of people enrolled in ICE’s so-called “alternatives to detention” (ATD) program. As Title 42 comes to an end, the Biden administration must act boldly to uphold its promise to immigrant communities by scaling back the use of immigration detention and surveillance.
From the moment the Trump administration implemented Title 42, a border closure and expulsion policy, the racist underpinnings driving it were clear: use the pandemic to deny Black and brown migrants the opportunity to seek safety and protection in the United States. Title 42 was never about public health and should never have been implemented — full stop.
Every person should have the right to move and live freely, without fear of being separated from their loved ones or displaced from their home. The midterm elections made clear how millions of people are coming together to reject attempts to divide us based on what we look like, where we come from, or where we live. Now, the Biden administration has a moral mandate to advance an agenda of humanity and dignity by acting urgently to scale back the immigration detention system. With the ending of Title 42, the Biden administration must sharply reduce - not increase - the number of people apprehended or detained by ICE. Immigration detention is a fundamentally flawed and inhumane system that must be abolished.”
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Detention Watch Network (DWN) is a national coalition building power through collective advocacy, grassroots organizing, and strategic communications to abolish immigration detention in the United States. Founded in 1997 by immigrant rights groups, DWN brings together advocates to unify strategy and build partnerships on a local and national level. Visit detentionwatchnetwork.org. Follow on Twitter @DetentionWatch.