Immigrants’ rights groups hold caravan to call for release of mothers, fathers, and others from Irwin Detention Center
WHAT: Caravan to call for release of immigrants from Irwin County Detention Center
WHEN: Friday, May 15, 2020
1:00pm - 4:00pm EST Trip from Atlanta to ICDC
5:00pm - 6:30pm EST Caravan in Ocilla, GA
WHERE: Irwin County Detention Center
132 Cotton Dr, Ocilla, GA 31774
Ocilla, GA — While many have been forced to alter working conditions, practice social distancing, and stay home to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, immigrants inside the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) have spent the last two months participating in hunger strikes and protests to call attention to human rights abuses and the lack of protections and preparedness for the spread of the coronavirus in the facility.
Our daily lives have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and have forced many of us to stay at home with our family. However, that is not the same story for community members who are detained at Irwin Detention Center. Unfortunately, our community members were not able to celebrate a happy Mother’s day with their family; rather, spend suffering and fearing for their lives because of the ill-conditions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at this detention center.
Community members continue to participate in work and hunger strikes to demand the liberation of community members who have a higher risk of contracting Covid-19. Lasalle Corrections, the private company that operates Irwin Detention center has continued to ignore requests to explain the situation taking place at the facility. On the other hand, ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams keeps on denying the fact that protests are taking place at the detention center even after videos of community members detained were released where they advocate for better conditions and the release of most vulnerable to Covid-19. (2)
“our children need us,” and “please help us.” are some of the cries for help that are quoted in an article published by type investigations. However, Lindsay Williams continues to deny that these protests are even taking place. Unfortunately, this is just some of the injustice that is taking place at these detention centers. In a recent disclosure by David Paulk, Irwin County center’s warden,it was declared that a transport officer was diagnosed with Covid-19 but these records were not included on ICE’s list of impacted members by Covid-19. The lack of transparency keeps on jeopardizing the lives of our community members.
As we continue fighting for our community members to be released from the detention center we are organizing to support our community during mother days. We are mobilizing a day of action through social media where we have the opportunity to let our immigrant mother know that they are not alone and that they have a community that is here fighting for them.
The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) educates, organizes, and empowers Latinos in Georgia to defend and advance their civil and human rights. Established in 2001, GLAHR is a community-based organization that develops statewide grassroots leadership.
Project South is a Southern-based leadership development organization that creates spaces for movement building. We have been working with communities pushed forward by the struggle for over 30 years – to strengthen leadership and to provide popular political and economic education for personal and social transformation.
Georgia Detention Watch (GDW) is a coalition of organizations and individuals that advocate, alongside immigrants, to end the inhumane and unjust detention and law enforcement policies and practices directed against immigrant communities in our state. Our coalition includes activists, community organizers, lawyers, and persons of faith.
