In Support of the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2019 (H.R. 2415)
Adopted at the 87th Annual Meeting in 2019
WHEREAS, the immigration incarceration system endangers approximately 38,153 men, women, and children every single day, including the 1,575 individuals housed in the Northwest Detention Center located in Tacoma, Washington; and
WHEREAS, recent national events exposed breaches of health, safety, civil rights, and human dignity in federal detention facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its private contractors at sites across the country; and
WHEREAS, the Administration faces accusations of failure to adequately protect detainees from public health threats, violence, and sexual harassment and assault; and
WHEREAS, there is significant public concern regarding the treatment of immigrants in detention centers and those seeking asylum or other sanctuary in our country; and
WHEREAS, Members of Congress have introduced the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to improve conditions for detained immigrants by enacting necessary reforms and implementing national detention standards that would ensure the rights, dignity, health, and safety of detainees are protected; and
WHEREAS, those necessary reforms must restore due process to custody decisions, promote safety and well-being for those detained, eliminate the motive of profit by private contractors, and increase oversight, accountability, and transparency,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act and calls on Congress to pass this legislation to hold the Administration accountable; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enact humane detention standards at its facilities nationwide to improve conditions and ensure immigrants are afforded the dignity they deserve; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge Congress and the Administration to restore due process for all those in detention by providing the federal resources necessary to facilitate swift judicial review of these cases; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S Conference of Mayors urges Congress and the Administration to pursue comprehensive legislative reform of the nation's broken immigration system.