1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

Across the United States, private immigration detention centers continue to operate under conditions that violate every standard of human decency. At the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, detained people recently found worms in their food. In Louisiana, a report from the ACLU and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights detailed sexual assault, physical abuse, and untreated illness in nine ICE facilities. A Senate investigation confirmed more than 80 credible cases of medical neglect nationwide, including detainees denied insulin and left without care for days. These are the direct result of a profit-driven system that rewards neglect and punishes humanity. Corporations like CoreCivic and GEO Group are paid by the body to keep their facilities full. Every dollar they earn depends on another person being detained. Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s People’s Justice Guarantee offers a clear alternative. It calls for an end to corporate profiteering in incarceration, a shift toward community-based alternatives, and a justice system grounded in dignity, safety, and accountability. It is a comprehensive plan to replace cruelty with care and exploitation with justice. I urge you to take immediate action to: - End the use of private immigration detention facilities - Advance and adopt the principles of the People’s Justice Guarantee - Hold ICE and its private contractors accountable for abuse, neglect, and violations of human rights. Our country cannot claim to stand for liberty and justice while allowing corporations to profit from human suffering. It is time to end the for-profit detention industry and build a humane system.