New York, NY — Human rights organizations in New York are calling for the reinstatement of a program that provided detained immigrants with 500 free phone minutes. The program was terminated by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after funds allocated during the pandemic were exhausted.
Karim Golding, an organizer for the nonprofit Freedom to Thrive, highlighted the importance of mental health and external support for detainees, which often involves maintaining phone contact. Golding, who spent time in an ICE detention center before his convictions were overturned, emphasized the financial challenges many detainees face.
“Just imagine that a lot of folks are coming from different countries, don’t have the financial capability of paying for phone calls, especially with the harsh conditions in detention – and they can’t communicate that,” Golding explained. “They can’t reach out to their family members once this is gone.”
Golding also mentioned that the program’s termination is partly due to the rising number of detainees, making it financially unfeasible for ICE to sustain the program.
Detainees in at least 16 facilities across the country, including New York’s Orange County Jail and Batavia Service Processing Center, have reported losing their free phone minutes, according to a report today by Public News Service.