Week of Action to End the Detention Quota

Every year, the United States imprisons nearly half a million immigrants in detention centers across the country.

This mass detention is fueled by an inhumane federal policy known as the “detention quota,” which requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to maintain 34,000 spaces for immigrant detention every single day.

On August 18th, the government announced that it will no longer contract with for-profit companies to run federal prisons; it’s time for the government to abandon for-profit immigrant detention, too.  As long as Congress continues to mandate a detention quota, we will see more and more people funneled into this for-profit system of mass detention.

AFSC is hosting a week of action August 22- 25, continue reading to find out what you can do.

August 22: Take action online today.

Email your members of Congress, and urge them to end the detention quota and support inclusive policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people.

August 23: Spread the word through social media.

The detention quota is a little-known federal policy that devastates families and communities while lining the pockets of for-profit prison corporations. Raise awareness about this harmful policy among your friends by spreading the word on social media using these graphics.

August 24: Keep up the pressure on your elected officials.

Making phone calls to your representatives in Congress sends them a strong message that their constituents are invested in this issue. We’ll provide you with information to contact your representative and a script that you can adapt to communicate your concerns.

Do you use Twitter? If so, please also reach out to your member of Congress through social media.  We’ll share sample tweets you can use to catch their attention.

August 25: Use local media to raise awareness in your community.

Engaging the media is a crucial step in raising awareness about the detention quota in your community. Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper today using our online tool.