More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Not only are laws about migrant women’s bodies resulting in the mass incarceration of women in the Gulf, they are also producing a chain reaction in the form of a generation of children who are stateless.
As we celebrate the first woman of color vice president in America, let us also take that celebration transnationally to continue to build solidarity with feminist networks across oceans.
Human rights organizations have documented dozens of accounts of immigrants receiving inadequate medical treatment, pregnant women and newborns held in custody beyond the time limits allowed by law, and inhumane conditions for those forced to give birth in custody.
“As the director of ICE … my cousin [Tony Pham] will be deporting people for whom there is no path at all, even if they have paid taxes here for many years or are Dreamers who were brought here as children. He will fight to block more refugees from following in his own footsteps.”
This week, 19 additional women came forward to speak out against the medical abuse they were subject to at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia while they were detained.
These allegations are shocking but unfortunately, not surprising given the United States’ long history of pro-eugenics policies. It’s time we fully reckon with our shameful legacy to help prevent more tragedy.
Mahsa Khanbabai, an Iranian American and an immigration lawyer, shares her thoughts on advocating for a more fair and just America.
She writes, “Immigration attorneys and advocates will continue to demand change not only in a court of law, but in the court of public opinion. It’s vital to empower those without voices, as well as to advocate for change with our neighbors, our broader community and with our elected officials. It’s bigger than a single political movement—it’s about education and dialogue. “
Should the Supreme Court gain a radical adherent to the conservative agenda, generations of progress will be on the chopping block—and most vulnerable to these winds of change are the immigrants among us.
To understand the impact of a potential Justice Amy Coney Barrett, one must first understand the current lay of the land.
Over the past few years, the Trump Administration has unleashed an onslaught of policies and regulations targeting immigrants fleeing persecution and torture who seek safety in the US.
Specifically, the administration has an obsession with attacking gender-based asylum claims which is further harming immigrant women seeking refuge from domestic violence.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform published findings from its investigation on for-profit ICE detention facilities, revealing horrific conditions and medical neglect that led to four preventable deaths.
But as alarming as the findings are, these human rights abuses are not new. Immigrants in detention and their loved ones have been telling us about the harm caused by the U.S. immigration system for years.
USCIS announced on September 19, 2019 that deferred action was reinstated by USCIS. Despite the reinstatement, the outcome in deferred action cases we handled or tracked across the country continue to raise concerns.
Since the September 19, 2019 reinstatement, USCIS has received 458 initial deferred action requests, with 43 granted, 90 denied, and the rest administratively closed, withdrawn or pending.
USCIS should commit to processing deferred action cases regularly and end the practice of denying protection to the most vulnerable.
Over the last four years, the Trump administration has committed horrific human rights violations against migrants to the United States. “The uterus collector” is what detained migrant women call the gynecologist working at the Irwin County Detention Center.
