Jailed without Justice

Immigrants and their families carry all their human rights with them when they move.

But undocumented immigrants often live in the shadows and are at heightened risk of human rights violations. Amnesty International calls for immigration reform to ensure immigrants are treated with full respect for their human rights and human dignity.

Amnesty International's report, Jailed without Justice, exposes the immigrant detention system in the United States as broken and unnecessarily costly.

Jailed without Justice

Immigrants and their families carry all their human rights with them when they move.

But undocumented immigrants often live in the shadows and are at heightened risk of human rights violations. Amnesty International calls for immigration reform to ensure immigrants are treated with full respect for their human rights and human dignity.

Amnesty International's report, Jailed without Justice, exposes the immigrant detention system in the United States as broken and unnecessarily costly.

Over 30,000 immigrants are in detention on any given day in the U.S. This is triple the average number detained just ten years ago. Detained immigrants include asylum seekers, torture survivors, victims of human trafficking, longtime lawful permanent residents, and the parents of U.S. citizen children. Immigrants can be detained for months or years without any meaningful judicial review despite international human rights standards requiring such review.

It costs about $95 per day to detain someone, while effective alternatives only cost $12 per day. These more affordable alternatives are often not considered.

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Immigration Detention Updates
Blog
Individuals are needlessly locked up for the sole purpose of appearing at immigration hearings, often without a hearing to determine whether they are a danger to the community or a flight risk.
Press Release
Justin Mazzola, Amnesty International USA researcher, issued the following statement in response to the comprehensive immigration bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, April 17.
Immigration Detention Issues