1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my absolute outrage regarding the detention of Seamus Culleton, as reported today by RTE and other outlets. Mr. Culleton is a documented immigrant with a valid work permit, a business owner, and the husband of a U.S. citizen. Yet, he has been held in squalid conditions in a Texas detention center for five months. Most disturbing are the reports that ICE ignored a federal judge's order for his release on bond and allegedly forged documents to force his deportation. This blatant disregard for the rule of law confirms what many of us have feared: the Trump Administration is abusing its power to fill private prison beds at the taxpayer's expense. This system has become a machine that demands bodies to meet "deportation quotas," regardless of legal status, guilt, or rights. We have already seen U.S. citizens deported in "errors" that occur with frightening frequency. It is becoming clear that anyone - critics of the administration, their families, or those who simply do not look like the administration’s preferred base - is at risk of being swallowed by this system. This is an embarrassment to our values and a theft of public funds. I urge you to: - Publicly demand the immediate release of Seamus Culleton in accordance with the judge’s previous bond order; - Call for an investigation into the allegations of forged signatures and "concentration camp" conditions at the El Paso facility; and - Vote against any further funding increases for ICE and private detention centers. Thank you.