In response to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) directives to rescind the Sensitive locations memo, expanding targeting and arrests, and ending humanitarian parole, Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of Detention Watch Network issued the following statement:
“Trump has set a clear intention of terrorizing communities and disrupting daily life, as demonstrated by his administration’s slew of day one executive orders targeting immigrants. His decision to rescind ICE’s longstanding Sensitive Locations Policy that barred some, but not all, enforcement actions in places such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship will embed fear into communities where people should feel the most safe, threatening to separate loved ones including parents and caregivers from their children and people who rely on them.
With the end of humanitarian parole, Trump is attempting to eviscerate one of the few mechanisms in our cruelly designed immigration system that made it possible to effectively and humanely resettle migrants and keep them out of the abusive immigration detention system. Take, for instance, what happened when thousands of people fled Ukraine in 2022— Ukrainians seeking safety at the US-Mexico border were admitted on parole, and were resettled quickly and with as much dignity as possible. They were issued work permits so they could support their families and contribute to their communities. This model can—and should—serve as an example for how the US can welcome people without the use of callous enforcement tactics.
With these directives, the Trump administration is ushering in an unprecedented wave of terror that will cause immediate suffering and long lasting harm to the nation as a whole.”
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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.