The Florence Project is disheartened by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 in Nielsen v. Preap, which once again broadened the parameters for mandatory detention of immigrants. Mandatory detention violates the fundamental human rights of immigrants by requiring that people be held in prison-like settings for the entirety of their immigration proceedings. During this time, our clients are separated from their families and often held in remote locations.
Mandatory detention means that human beings are presented with an impossible decision: either remain in detention for a year or longer, while their cases are adjudicated, or give up on their cases and lose the opportunity to remain in the U.S. As we have for the last 30 years, the Florence Project will continue to advocate for alternatives to detention and just, humane treatment for all immigrants.
