Human Rights & Detention
Core Values | Common Ground | Equal Justice
Nebraska’s progress in welcoming newcomers and treating immigrant families equitably has been frustrated by the thousands of non-citizens detained in county jails across the state for immigration law violations and facing deportation without legal representation. A significant number of these detainees have some legal claim to residing in the United States with their families, but have no legal representation and are forced into removal. In the last year, Nebraska Appleseed has become a member of the Midwest Human Rights Coalition, a regional effort to bring together advocacy groups and academics to identify and deal with human rights issues in our own backyards. In turn, Nebraska Appleseed has been instrumental in having this new coalition focus on the detention of thousands of immigrants in county jails pending deportation as a human rights issue. This follows Nebraska Appleseed’s previous efforts to build a pro bono representation project in the region, and the publication of a survey of each county jail detaining immigrants in our area. This “snapshot” confirmed there was little uniform process being used by county jail officials in handling immigration detainees and informing them of their rights, and that among counties, the respect paid to legal rights ranged greatly, creating even further barriers to the ability of these immigrants to remain with their families. The coalition coordinated summer interns in 2005 who worked with coalition partners on a regional detention mapping project, including in Nebraska, leading to even greater attention and reforms made to the plight of these forgotten immigrants.
Asking state and local law enforcement to don a second hat as federal immigration officers has dangerous ramifications for public safety
“Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement” provides community advocates with legal and practical tips to protect public safety. It also describes troubling legal and political efforts to move into uncharted territory by involving local officers in federal immigration matters, breaking down a division that has been standard practice for many years.
These efforts are widely opposed by major law enforcement organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major Cities Police Chiefs Association. Dozens of major cities and groups from across the ideological spectrum – ranging from the National League of Cities to the ACLU to Americans for Tax Reform – also oppose these programs.
Detention in America series: Careless Detention | System of Neglect
As Tighter Immigration Policies Strain Federal Agencies, The Detainees in Their Care Often Pay a Heavy Cost
In this series of articles, Washington Post reporters Dana Priest (Walter Reed Army Medical Center report) and Amy Goldstein examine the treatment of detainees as well as the alarming number of detainee deaths in ICE detention centers.
Worker Rights During Immigration Enforcement Raids
Know Your Rights 
English (UFCW)
Know Your Rights/Conozca Sus Derechos Español (UFCW)
Know Your Rights Wallet Card English-Español (UFCW)
Know Your Rights at Home and at Work English | Español
(Ejecución de las Leyes de Inmigración: Conozca sus derechos en su hogar y su trabajo respecto a Inmigración) (National Immigration Law Center)
Know Your Rights if You Have Been Arrested or Detained by the U.S. Government English | Español
(CASA of Maryland)
RESOURCES FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
- Principles for CIR (FIRM) - English | Español
- Principles for CIR (CCIR) – English | Español
- STRIVE Act: the good & bad – English | Español
- STRIVE Act: common questions – English | Español
- Hagel Proposal 2007
- White House plan analysis (FIRM) – English | Español
- Polling Summary (NIF)
- Polling Presentation
Bill to punish employers who hire illegals draws support
Darcy Tromanhauser