Programs
The Women's Refugee Commission and other advocates testified at a congressional briefing on the impact of immigration enforcement on women and families. The briefing took place on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 1:30 PM at the U.S. Capitol.
Speakers included:
Read speaker biographies and remarks 
Read the press release
View the briefing invitation
Every day, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds 32,000 immigrants in detention. Roughly 10 percent or 3,200 of detained immigrants are women. While current standards allow for emergency medical care and treatment for detained immigrants, they do not adequately cover the unique physical, social, emotional and healthcare needs of women, including gynecological exams, pre- and post-natal care, and treatment for those who have been victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Also, women are being permanently separated from their children at great cost to their children and to society. Many women are detained without being allowed to make childcare arrangements, are often transferred to facilities hundreds or thousands of miles away from their communities, and are denied the access to telephones and the legal materials necessary to coordinate childcare, locate their children and liaise with family courts to preserve their parental rights.
The briefing is hosted by the National Coalition for Immigrant Women's Rights: American Civil Liberties Union; Human Rights Watch; Legal Momentum; National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum; National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health; Southwest Institute for Research on Women and Rogers College of Law at University of Arizona; and the Women's Refugee Commission.
It is held in cooperation with The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and The Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Ask Congress to Ensure Humane Conditions of Immigration Detention
Support the Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act (H.R. 1215)
Women's Refugee Commission
The Detention of Immigrant Families
Avoidable Adverse Impacts on Children of ICE Enforcement Practices
Immigration Custody of Unaccompanied Children
Other Advocates
ACLU Brief on Improving Reproductive Health Care in ICE Detention
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum Brief on Reproductive Health Care and API Women
NCIWR Brief on Women's Health Care Needs in Immigration Detention
Legal Momentum: Immigrant Crime Victims and Workplace Immigration Raids
Bills Addressing Immigration Detention Reform. Read bill summaries
NGO Support for H.R. 1215: Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act of 2009. Read the letter
Detention Report Digest. View a round-up of recent immigration detention reports
Women's Refugee Commission Detention and Asylum Program. Download our fact sheet
Detained and Dismissed: Women's Struggles to Obtain Health Care in United States Immigration Detention (Human Rights Watch report, March 2009)
Unseen Prisoners: A Report on Women in Immigration Detention Facilties in Arizona, Executive Summary (University of Arizona, January 2009)
ICE letter to Human Rights Watch
National Coalition for Immigrant Women's Rights 2009 Policy Priorities
Immigrant Rights and Reproductive Justice (article by NILRH)
New York Times: "Report Faults Treatment of Women Held at Immigration Centers" (Dan Frosch, January 20, 2009)
The New Yorker: "The Lost Children" (Margaret Talbot, March 3, 2008)
Tucson Weekly: "Forgotten and Ignored" (Mari Herreras, January 15, 2009)
