Res. No. 156
Title
Resolution calling upon the United States Department of Homeland Security to terminate the use of privately-run immigration detention facilities, as well as to limit the use of detention to only those individuals who pose an imminent threat to national security
Body
By Council Member Dromm
Whereas, The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a division of the United States of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is charged with overseeing and providing for the care, custody and control of immigration detainees; and
Whereas, President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order 13767, entitled, "Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements," issued on January 25, 2017, called for an expansion of immigrant detention facilities and authorized the use of private contractors to construct, operate or control facilities; and
Whereas, The United States already maintains the largest immigration detention infrastructure in the world, detaining approximately 380,000 to 442,000 persons per year; and
Whereas, The largest federal client of private prison companies is the DHS; and
Whereas, Increased use of immigration detention directly affects New York City immigrants and their families as, according to the 2010 United States Census, New York City is home to nearly three million immigrants, one of the largest immigrant populations in the nation; and
Whereas, Since 2009, congressional appropriations have conditioned DHS funding to the filling of a minimum number of immigration detention beds, commonly referred to as the "detention bed quota"; and
Whereas, This arbitrary quota set by Congress requires the detention of 34,000 at any given time, which costs taxpayers more than $2 billion each year; and
Whereas, No other law enforcement agency in the United States is subject to a real or perceived quota for detainees; and
Whereas, The for-profit companies that currently run the majo...
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