Researching the Human Costs of U.S. Immigration Detention and Deportation
Alondra M. Nieves Rivera
Ghandakly, E., & Fabi, R. (2021). Sterilization in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention: Ethical failures and systemic injustice. American Journal of Public Health, 111(5), 832-834. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/sterilization-us-immigration-customs-enforcements/docview/2515783722/se-2?accountid=8285
Elizabeth C. Ghandakly is an Internal Medicine Resident Physician with a J.D. in law from Ohio State University and an M.D. from George Washington University. Rachel Fabi is an Associate Professor who has a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management from Johns Hopkins University. The primary audience are policymakers, legal professionals, and human right advocates who are concerned with immigration enforcement rights. The article discusses a whistleblower complaint about serious medical abuses at the Irwin County Detention center, particularly concerning women detained by ICE. The complaint claims that a high number of women went through unnecessary gynecological procedures without informed consent. The article also highlights broader issues of medical neglect, unsanitary conditions, and mistreatment within the facility. The argument is mostly supported by advocacy reports, peer-reviewed research, government documents, and investigative journalism. This article highlights the systematic issues regarding reproductive injustice and medical neglect in detention centers. This is something I had not known before and reading this article gave me a sense of direction of where I want to take the research paper. I will most likely write about systematic issues at deportation centers and civil/human rights.
Lhamon, C.E., Timmons-Goodson, P., Adegbile, D.P., Heriot, G.L., Kirsanow, P.N., Kladney, D., Narasaki, K., & Yaki, M. (2019). Trauma at the border: The human cost of inhumane immigration policies. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 41-117. https://www.usccr.gov/files/pubs/2019/10-24-Trauma-at-the-Border.pdf
Catherine Elizabeth Lhamon is an attorney and government official who earned a J.D. from Yale Law School. Patricia Timmons-Goodson is a judge and politician with a J.D. from the University North Carolina School of Law. Debo Patrick Adegbile is a lawyer who earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law. Gail Heriot is an attorney and law professor who earned her J.D. at the University of Chicago. Peter Kirsanow is a partner with a law firm who has a J.D. from Cleveland State University College of Law. David Kladney is an attorney with a J.D. from California Western School of Law. Karen Narasaki is a civil and human rights activist with a J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Michael Yaki is an attorney and politician who earned his J.D. from Yale Law School. The audience is intended for policymakers, government officials, and human and civil rights activists. The argument is that the 2019 Administration’s changes to asylum, the detention of children, and other immigration policies, practices, and procedures has created a human and civil rights crisis at the southern border. Specifically, the “Zero Tolerance” policy has led to immigrant children and adults to experience trauma due to the separation of families and the inhumane conditions of detention centers. In response to the crisis, the commission came up with multiple recommendations. The recommendations include reunifying children with their parents, remedy conditions in detention centers, inspections of detention center by the Department of Homeland Security, and lastly Congress should pass legislation that sets minimum safe and humane detention conditions. The argument is supported by media reports, government investigations, eyewitnesses, and public testimony. This is a great primary source to clearly and accurately demonstrate how the conditions of detention centers are inhumane and a violation of human rights. This source goes hand in hand with the other articles above which makes it easier for me to synthesize information later. This source can also be very helpful towards the end of the paper when I begin to address what policymakers can do to address this social issue.
Pon, A. (2018). The dreamer divide: Aspiring for a more inclusive immigrants’ rights movement. Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3223695
Adrienne Pon is an Executive Director of the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission and the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs with a M.A. in public affairs. The audience are immigration advocates and activists. The main point discussed is the “Dreamer” narrative created by advocates and activists, which is an idea rooted in exceptionalism that is limited to high-achieving youth with clean records and who strongly contribute to the economy. The main argument is that “Dreamer” narrative is a problem given that if immigrants do not fit that narrative, they are shut out or excluded from the rest. The essay also calls for a more inclusive movement that addresses systemic discrimination against all immigrant communities through three ideas: advocates should try to focus on reforms that include everyone, advocates must always talk directly with the communities they serve, and lastly advocates should work together across immigrants’ rights organizations and individuals. This article is mostly supported by historical research, legal research, and expert analyses from historians and legal scholars. I can use this article to critique the “Dreamer” narrative in immigrant advocacy and highlight the need for a more inclusive approach. I can call for more comprehensive and equitable human rights protections in deportation centers by emphasizing reforms that protect all immigrants, prioritizing direct engagement with affected communities, and fostering collaboration across advocacy groups.
Ramirez, B.A. (2024). Anchoring work: How Latinx mixed-status families respond to interior immigration enforcement. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 50(4), 772–791. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2023.2199137
Doctor Blanca A. Ramirez is an assistant professor in the Sociology Department at The University of Texas at Austin and holds a PhD from the University of Southern California in Sociology with specific expertise on Latino(a) Sociology, Migration, Gender, and Sociology of Law. The audience intended for this article are policymakers, legal professionals, and advocacy groups. The main argument is that the current US immigration enforcement system is hurting a lot of families who differ in immigrations status. However, despite the trauma and violence, families become stronger than ever and quickly mobilize to help one another’s wellbeing to protect the targeted member from further harm. The article also introduces the idea of “anchoring work” and its three strategies: strategic secrecy, attorney seeking, and legal engagement. Most of the argument is supported by personal testimonies of Latinx individuals in mixed-status families who have been directly impacted by U.S. interior immigration enforcement policies. It is also supported by empirical data that has been structured into tables, which include statistics on demographic information about affected families and what strategies families adopt. I think this article is a good place to start researching in my interests, such as seeing the effects of immigration law and policy enforcement and the ethics of the practice. It offers baseline information I should know about how families react, approach the situation, and provides key information that will guide my future research.
Saadi, A., De Trinidad Young, M.E., Patler, C., Estrada, J.L., & Venters, H. (2020). Understanding U.S. immigration detention. American Journal of Public Health, 22(1). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7348446/
Altaf Saadi is a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital with a M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young and Caitlin Petler are both assistant professors with Ph.D.s from University of California, Los Angeles. Jeremias Leonel Estrada is a community stakeholder in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico. Lastly, Homer Venters is a clinical associate professor who has a M.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The audience is for healthcare professionals and advocates involved in immigrant health and human rights. The main argument is that the immigration detention system has severely impacted immigrants’ physical and mental health, social stability, and overall well-being. It particularly highlights multiple forms of abuse found in detention centers which include physical and sexual violence, solitary confinement, and inadequate medical care. In addition, it also brings to light the structural issues of the detention system such as economic challenges, racialization, and legal uncertainties. Most of the argument is supported by a combination of firsthand accounts from detained immigrants, testimonies from medical professionals, and official government records. I can use this article to show how immigration enforcement policies violate civil rights by neglecting immigrant’s medical and mental health needs. It provides evidence of systemic mistreatment and ethical concerns, supporting arguments for policy reform and better protections. Finally, this article connects well with Ghandakly and Fabi’s “Sterilization in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention: Ethical failures and systemic injustice” scholarly article.