Nov 10, 2014 - NATIONAL LATINO LEADERS CALL FOR CLOSURE OF FAMILY DETENTION CENTERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 10, 2014

NATIONAL LATINO LEADERS CALL FOR CLOSURE OF FAMILY DETENTION CENTERS
Government should instead use humane, effective, less costly community-based alternatives

Washington, DC -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, is calling on the Obama Administration to close existing family detention centers, scrap plans for opening new ones, and implement alternatives to detention that have proven to be successful and more humane.

Most of those held at detention centers are women and children fleeing violence in Central America, and many have survived abuse in their home countries or during their journey to the U.S. Rather than finding safe shelter, vulnerable survivors of domestic and sexual abuse have too often faced further sexual harassment, abuse, and rape in U.S. detention centers.

In a letter sent to the White House on Monday, NHLA argues that instead of placing women and children in prison-like settings, the federal government should expand the use of alternatives to detention. These include orders of supervision and community-based alternatives that are already in use by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Community support programs, case management, and other programs have proven to be effective in ensuring appearance and compliance with immigration orders. These alternatives are also far less expensive to the taxpayer, costing as little as 70 cents to $17 per day, compared to $266 per day for family detention.

NHLA’s letter also calls for immediate investigation of allegations of abuse in existing detention centers, ceasing no-bond or high-bond practices, and providing counsel to immigrant families in order to navigate the complex immigration system.

For the full text of NHLA's letter to President Obama, click here.

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Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. In 2013, NHLA launched the Latinos United for Immigration Reform campaign. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Carmen Orozco-Acosta | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (512) 787-6508 |
| Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (915) 373-1483 |