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Advocates for immigration detainees want free phone call plan reinstated

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Thursday, July 11, 2024   

Groups advocating for people detained in immigration facilities in Louisiana and elsewhere are calling for the reinstatement of a program subsidizing 500 free minutes of phone calls per month.

In recent weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement cut off the free domestic and international calls, telling advocates the pandemic-era funding has run out.

Rosa Santana, interim co-executive director of the Envision Freedom Fund, said families of the detainees often struggle to afford the calls, which can cost up to $3 for 15 minutes.

"Usually the person who is in detention is the breadwinner, and now families have to be able to figure out how they could bring food and everything that the breadwinner used to bring, pay rent," Santana pointed out. "And on top of that now, it's having to pay for phone calls."

ICE did not respond to a request for comment. People in at least 16 ICE detention centers across the country have lost free phone privileges, including four sites in Louisiana: Winn Correctional Center in Winnefeld, Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Pine Prairie, and River Correctional Center in Ferriday.

Karim Golding, organizer for the nonprofit Freedom to Thrive, said the phone calls are a lifeline for people in detention, a connection to family to keep their spirits up. In addition, human rights groups worry it could make it harder to monitor conditions on the inside.

"Absent the phones, how would we know that rights are being violated?," Golding emphasized. "How would we know if nobody has the ability to communicate?"

People in detention still have access to work programs where they can earn about a $1 for eight hours of work to spend on calls or items at the commissary.

Disclosure: Freedom to Thrive contributes to our fund for reporting on Criminal Justice, Immigrant Issues, LGBTQIA Issues, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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