Jail Visits
Please note that, in light of COVID-19, all in-person jail visits *and jail visit trainings* are on hold. CAIR Coalition staff continues to maintain contact with individuals in immigration detention remotely, but volunteer participation in jail visits will not resume until it is safe for staff, volunteers, and clients to resume in-person visits. All volunteers who fill out our volunteer signup form will receive an update once CAIR Coalition has determined that it is safe to resume in-person visits to the detention centers.
CAIR Coalition conducts regular visits to government immigration detention facilities in Virginia and Maryland to provide adult detainees with general information about the detention process, information about their legal rights, and options for fighting deportation.
All new volunteers must attend a volunteer training session before volunteering on a jail visit.
FAQs:
- When: Jail visits are full-day commitments: volunteers may need to leave DC between 5:30 - 7:30 AM, depending on the facility, and should plan to return by 8:00 PM or later. Visits take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays each month.
- Where: Detention facilities in Virginia and Maryland, between 1 and 3.5 hours away from DC.
What makes a good jail visit volunteer:
- Spanish speakers, as well as speakers of other languages are highly desired.
- Volunteers who can come on multiple visits are preferred.
- No members of the media or government are allowed.
- No knowledge of immigration law is required.
How to get started:
- First, make sure that you have completed our volunteer sign-up form and confidentiality agreement here.
- All volunteers are required to sign up for a training before visiting a detention center with CAIR Coalition. Additional training opportunities will be added once CAIR Coalition determines that it is safe to resume jail visits.
- After attending a jail visit training, please keep an eye out for the next volunteer newsletter with information on signing up for upcoming jail visit dates.