PRESS STATEMENT
February 10, 2022
Contact: Rachel Koelzer, rachel@nakasec.org
Woori Juntos & NAKASEC Condemn Biden’s Plan to
Place Immigrants Under House Arrest
Houston, TX – An official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a 120-day pilot program that will force “hundreds of migrants caught at the U.S.-Mexico border on house arrest.” Starting in Baltimore, MD, and Houston, TX, the program is falsely touted as an “alternative to detention” and an effort to lower costs and reduce the number of immigrants held in detention centers. Immigrant justice organizations have long been calling for the closure of detention centers as they are inhumane and deplorable.
Woori Juntos, based in Houston, TX, and its national organization NAKASEC, released the following statement:
Woori Juntos’ Executive Director, Hyunja Norman: “The Biden administration’s efforts to reduce detention for immigrants must create solutions that do not redesign or worsen harm to our communities. Electronic monitoring is not an alternative to detention, it is a different form of it. We have seen the criminal legal system enact similar practices for people incarcerated in jails and prisons, and there is no tangible evidence that they have been successful in healing or addressing the root causes of harm. In fact, evidence shows that electronic monitoring can exacerbate harm and trap people in the criminal legal system. Rather than increasing state control over already-marginalized communities under the guise of protection, the Biden administration must close ICE detention centers without expanding the carceral state. Furthermore, it’s imperative to invest in immigrant communities by addressing the root causes of migration and meeting basic needs for housing, education, healthcare, and climate justice.”
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The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)’s mission is to organize Korean and Asian Americans to achieve social, economic, and racial justice. The NAKASEC Network is HANA Center (Illinois), Hamkae Center (fka NAKASEC VA) (Virginia), Woori Center (Pennsylvania), MinKwon Center for Community Action (New York) and Woori Juntos (Texas).
