Commissioner Ortega gains support to his initiative to accept no additional ICE detainees in Ramsey County jails

Members of the Maria Inamagua Campaign for Justice including members of Maria Inamagua's family have planned, as part of the public response to Commissioner Ortega's initiative in Ramsey County to publicly say "No" to INS/ICE cruel and senseless enforcement of broken immigration policies by refusing to take additional ICE immigration detainees (such as future victims of ICE raids) at the Ramsey County Jail.

The campaign’s position:

1. No additional ICE detainees in Ramsey County Jail until Congress passes realistic, comprehensive immigration reform.

2. Enforce ICE and Human Rights Treaty standards in Ramsey County Jail for the 60 current ICE detainees in Ramsey County Jail.

3. ICE should not be allowed to place any immigration detainee in any facility, wherever located, that does not meet all ICE and Human Rights Treaty standards.

Simultaneously with supporting Commissioner Ortega's proposal to accept no additional ICE detainees in the jail, the Campaign proposes to push for proper enforcement of ICE and human rights treaty detention standards for the current 60 immigration detainees in Ramsey County Jail and to push ICE to publicly pledge that no immigration detainee will be placed in any facility that does not meet ICE and human rights treaty standards for detention facilities.

Back in December 19, during the Board of Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Fletcher identified three conditions at the Ramsey County Jail that bothered him and led him to support stopping taking ICE detainees at the jail. As it turns out, the conditions he listed also violated ICE standards and human rights treaty standards for detention facilities. “We have reason to believe that these violations are the tip of the iceberg and that the other facilities that ICE uses in the Midwest and across the country are likewise significantly out of compliance,” said Peter Brown, member of The Minnesota National Lawyers Guild and the Maria Inamagua Campaign for Justice.

“Forcing ICE to pledge to place no more detainees in non-compliant facilities would slow down their capacity for more of these senseless raids or force ICE to acknowledge that they are willing to violate its own standards and the human rights treaty standards by placing immigration detainees in facilities that do not meet their own and international standards,” concluded Brown.