– Media Advisory –
Advocacy organizations and formerly detained immigrants from Orange County Correctional Facility discuss legal complaint and state legislation
What: Spokespeople from organizations with the Abolish ICE New York/ New Jersey Coalition will hold a press conference tomorrow to review their recently filed legal complaint against Orange County Correctional Facility and discuss their legislation. The press conference program will include statements by attorneys from the New York City Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), Bronx Defenders, and the Center for Constitutional Rights as well as people recently detained at Orange County Correctional facility. In addition, there will be an update on the Dignity Not Detention (DND) Legislation and its progress through the legislature.
When: Thursday April 6, 2023 11:00 am
Where: Foley Square
Why: Orange County Correctional Facility has been a site of tremendous violence against immigrants in NY state. It is one of the few county-run facilities in NY that contracts with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). Given the number of immigrants reporting torturous conditions and the frequency of hunger strikes by the detainees, advocates from the Abolish ICE New York/ New Jersey Coalition want to uplift this specific facility and its relationship to the DND legislation. OCCF’s actions are emblematic of treatment by ICE in jails and facilities across New York State and the country. The coalition aims to both stop what’s happening at OCCF and across NY beginning with the legal complaint and continuing with the passage of the Dignity Not Detention Act in the state legislature.
The Dignity Not Detention working group is an extension of the Abolish ICE NY NJ Coalition and includes representatives from the following New York based organizations: Envision Freedom Fund, Freedom for Immigrants, Showing Up for Racial Justice – NYC Chapter, Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, New York State Youth Leadership Council, New York Lawyers For The Public Interest, Rochester Rapid Response Network, Center for Constitutional Rights, Democratic Socialists of America – NYC Chapter, Catholic Charities, Survived and Punished New York, Families For Freedom, The Bronx Defenders, and Critical Resistance NYC.