Restore Fairness to the Immigration System

A new video, "Restore Fairness" produced by Breakthrough in association with 26 other organizations, including the ACLU, is part of a national campaign asking our government to restore fairness and due process to the broken immigration system.

The video's first segment features footage of congressional testimony by June Everett about the death of her sister, Sandra Kenley, after she was denied adequate medical care in immigration detention. In 2007, the ACLU interviewed Everett about her sister's death for this podcast.

In 2007, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeking a complete list of detainees who have died in U.S. custody. Our FOIA request and subsequent lawsuit to enforce that request revealed that 104 people have died in immigration detention since 2003.

"Restore Fairness" also features interviews with ACLU executive director Anthony Romero, members of Congress, immigration judges, civil society leaders and ordinary families affected by harsh immigration laws. The campaign website has a video channel with additional immigration stories, a screening guide, a blog, tools for contributing and sharing content, along with online resources to update you on the issue and key ways to take action.

In the video, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) says:

If we deny fairness and justice under our laws against any group of people, then ultimately, we all becomes victims of that injustice. The only way that we can protect our own rights and our own values, is to make sure that we protect the rights for others.

You can take that first step protecting those rights by watching the video then tell Congress to restore fairness to the immigration system right now.