For immediate release
January 21, 2021
Biden’s Moratorium on Deportations Props Up Enforcement Deteriorates Community Safety
San Francisco, California – The California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice released the following statement with respect to the Biden administration’s announcement on a 100-day Moratorium on Deportations:
“Last night, the Biden administration issued a moratorium on deportations that concedes to the criminal-legal system that disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx people. The thematic pledge for racial justice and unity that echoed through the National Mall in Washington, D.C., has already missed the mark, rubber stamping the infrastructure of mass incarceration that plagues our communities.
The 100-day Moratorium on Deportation includes broad language and authority for the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to continue enforcement operations, meanwhile DHS conducts internal revisions for a more, “fair and effective immigration system.” The administration’s decision to continue to target members of our community under the auspices of protecting “public safety” is counterproductive. Therefore, allowing enforcement operations that put our immigrant families in unprecedented danger as COVID-19 ravages detention facilities is the antithesis of a “fair and effective immigration system.” In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continued plague of racism in this country, we need to reimagine what makes our communities safe. Detaining individuals in facilities whose unhealthy conditions accelerate the spread of COVID-19 to thousands of people, endangering those detained as well as the surrounding communities, is a threat to public safety.
It is cruel that our policies force migrants to choose between remaining in unsafe conditions in camps at the southern border, or being detained in equally unsafe conditions in the United States. We must find solutions that are rooted in humanitarian aid, cooperation and compassion, particularly for those who are fleeing violence and persecution. CCIJ calls on this new administration to eliminate the so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols” or “Remain in Mexico” policy and immediately ensure that all asylum seekers can pursue their asylum cases within the United States, free from physical or electronic forms of incarceration.
While we welcome the Biden administration’s willingness to review enforcement policies that separate our families, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that the demands to abolish ICE and reinvest in our communities are at the forefront of our collective liberation.”
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