Working to ensure all immigrants are treated with fairness, dignity and respect for their human and civil rights

Mental Health: Advocacy

This page includes a collection of resources intended to shed light on the current plight of people with mental disabilities who are placed in immigration proceedings without basic due process protections.  Resources include individual stories from across the country, advocacy letters to the current administration, media reports and press releases.

This page also contains a special section on advocacy efforts focused on improving the treatment of  ICE detainees being held in private psychiatric hospitals.

Advocacy Resources for Detainees Held in Psychiatric Hospitals

API JFS

API Cover

API Notice

API Acceptance

API POC

Demand Letter Re ICE Hospitals April 2009 Copy for Allies

DRD Letter ICEcounsel API access May5 09

EMTALA Memo 7-13v5 FINAL

Notice to pras and psychiatric facilities June1909 FINAL

General Advocacy Resources

July 24, 2009 Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to uphold our nation’s commitment to reasonable accommodations and basic fairness for people with mental disabilities in the context of our nation’s immigration courts.

Physicians for Human Rights’ blog post on issues relating to immigration detainees with mental illness.

Letter to Senator Durbin from Texas Appleseed (9-22-09)-