FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Saturday, June 22, 2019 CONTACT: Kalin Kipling-Mojaddedi, 916-441-6269, kkipling@cair.com; Rhonda Rios Kravitz, rhondarioskravitz@gmail.com, 916-712-7169.
SATURDAY: After Trump Call for More Deportations, Immigrant Detention Reform Group Holds News Briefing at Yuba County Jail
Loved ones of immigrants detained at Yuba County Jail are among the speakers
(MARYSVILLE, CA) – In response to Pres. Trump’s promise to escalate the deportation of millions, the Campaign for Immigrant Detention Reform (CIDR) will hold a press conference SATURDAY/June 22 at 11 a.m. at Yuba County Superior Court, 215 Fifth St, Marysville, in support of immigrants and to highlight conditions at Yuba County Jail.
CIDR – formed in early April – is a campaign against the detention of immigrants composed of various civil- and immigrants’-rights groups in Northern California, including members of the Sacramento Immigration Coalition, Amnesty International in Sacramento, Step Up Sacramento, Alianza, Jakarta Movement and Freedom for Immigrants. SEE: CIDR website
“The time is now to place unrelenting attention on the Yuba County Jail in order to alleviate the plight of the people inside, and to stop the human rights crisis from getting even worse,” said Dr. Rhonda Rios Kravitz, co-founder of CIDR and the Sacramento Immigration Coalition and CEO of Alianza, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building systems of support for Dreamers.
“We are sickened by Trump’s latest announcement. As the Trump administration ramps up its cruel and inhumane policies, it is more crucial than ever to stand up for the dignity and rights of immigrants – and all marginalized communities,” she added.
Saturday’s press conference will feature faith leaders and loved ones of immigrants detained at the jail. Attendees will also be able to write notes to immigrants who are detained at the jail.
In February, detainees held a hunger strike to protest conditions at Yuba County Jail.
READ: Yuba County Jail immigration detainees declare hunger strike
Detainees’ demands included:
● Immigration detainees and county inmates must be housed separately.
● Immediately improve medical, mental health and dental treatment.
● End punitive conditions for detainees.
● End the dehumanizing daily 19-hour lockdowns.
● Programming must be offered to detainees.
● Provide for regular access to exercise and fresh air.
● Follow ICE guidelines for grievance procedures.
● Maintain confidentiality.
● Translators must be offered.
● Address maintenance issues in a timely manner.
● Address unsanitary conditions.
● Provide for an independent oversight committee with unannounced visits.
Forty-two individuals have attempted suicide in recent years at Yuba County Jail; the most recent attempt was on May 18, 2019.
READ: Lawyers: 41 Suicide Attempts At Yuba County Jail Point To Inmate Mistreatment (CBS)
The jail currently has an average of 180 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees per day, according to the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department.
It has a long-standing contract with ICE to house detainees and the contract has generated about $5 million in revenue annually in recent years.
The county has been under a court order to improve jail conditions for 40 years.
READ: Inmates sue over conditions at Yuba County jail (Sac Bee)
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