“Restore Fairness” produced by Breakthrough in association with 26 leading organizations, calls for the U.S. government to bring back due process and fairness to the immigration system. The video features the powerful voices of Congresswomen Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard, Judges Dana Marks and Bruce Einhorn, and civil society leaders Anthony Romero, Donald Kerwin, Karen Narasaki and Mallika Dutt. It also gives a human face to harsh immigration laws through three very compelling personal stories – Jean Pierre Kamwa, an asylum seeker who faced mandatory detention, June Everett who lost her sister to immigration detention, and Walter Chavez and Ana Galindo, legal permanent residents who were victims of a warrantless home raid. Watch this video and take action to ensure that the U.S. government restores due process and fairness to our immigration system.
Two Moms Fight to Stay Together
Shirley Tan came from the Philippines decades ago, and built a life with her partner Jay, giving birth to twin boys and becoming a full-time mom. But Shirley faced the biggest challenge of her life as she fought to stay on in the United States, crippled by laws that do not allow gay and lesbian couples to sponsor their partners. Watch this video and take action to ensure that the U.S. government restores due process and fairness to our immigration system.
Is 2010 the Year for Immigration Reform?
On the very same day that health care reform passed in Congress, Restore Fairness joined 200,000 workers, families and communities to march for just and humane immigration reform. The atmosphere was electric. Crowds chanting slogans, waving American flags, reasserting the need to restore fundamental human rights to our broken immigration system, cheering President Obama as he extended his support to immigration reform. Watch this video and take action to ensure that the U.S. government restores due process and fairness to our immigration system.
A Transgender Detainee Speaks Out
Courage comes in many different forms. For Esmeralda, a transgender asylum seeker from Mexico, who faced horrific circumstances in immigration detention, it came in the form of seeking justice. Kept in a segregated cell with other transgender detainees, Esmeralda never realized that her experience in detention would match the trauma of discrimination she had faced back home. But her story is also one of hope for change. Watch Esmeralda’s powerful story and take action to ensure that the U.S. government restores due process and fairness to our immigration system.
Live From Jail
Breakthrough was given rare access behind the walls of an immigrant detention center and met several long time residents who face exile from the U.S. The threat of being exiled away from their families and lives is almost too much to bear for them. As one of them says, “this is a nightmare that I’ve not been able to wake up from.” Watch their stories and take action to ensure that the U.S. government restores the ability of judges to consider individual circumstances so everyone receives a fair day in court.
Shackled and Detained: A Pregnant Woman’s Story
Juana Villegas from Mexico was nine months pregnant when she was stopped for a traffic violation, for which she was later found innocent. Because of an agreement between local police and federal immigration authorities, she was detained in jail where she was shackled. As Juana began to go into labor, she was shackled in transit to the hospital and while giving birth. She was not allowed to use a breast pump or nurse her newborn child. She talks of her pain after giving birth, “The nurse brought me a breast pump… she asked permission for me to take it to jail… again the sheriff said, no.” Watch Juana’s story and take action to ensure that the U.S. government stops the continued use of local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law.
Death by Detention
The New York Times and the Washington Post have recently reported on the shocking “System of Neglect” in immigrant detention centers that denies basic medical care to those detainees desperately in need of it. Watch June Everett’s moving account of her sister’s death in detention – how Sandra Kenley, a 52- year-old grandmother who had lived legally in the US for 33 years “died because the American system failed her, a system we believed in, a system that needs fixing now.” Watch June tell her sister’s story and take action to ensure that the U.S. government creates legally enforceable detention standards and implements cost effective alternatives to detention.
Army Man Fights For Justice
Warren Joseph, a Trinidadian who came to the U.S., obtained his Green Card and chose to do the ultimate American act — join the Army. After returning from the war in Iraq, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, ultimately being sent to immigration detention where he languished for 3 years, facing and observing numerous counts of abuse from immigration officials. He says, “There’s many physical abuses up there, the thing is who can you tell?” Watch Warren’s story and take action to ensure that the U.S. government creates legally enforceable detention standards and implements cost effective alternatives to detention.
A Mother’s Battle
Agatha Joseph’s daughter was only 17 when she was placed in detention. She spent 3 years fighting for her case in 7 detention centers—all for making a small mistake as a teenager. Agatha tells how officials treated her daughter, “She was in a gymnasium that housed 200 people. There was only one exit door and a fire broke out and they shut the gymnasium down and everyone was locked in.” Watch her daughter’s story and take action to ensure that the U.S. government creates legally enforceable detention standards and implements cost effective alternatives to detention.
Denied Medical Care: An HIV+ Detainee Speaks Out
Ali, a Pakistani-born, HIV+ gay man, had been living in New York City for 30 years with a Green Card. He spent more than a year suffering in immigrant detention where he witnessed the worst kind of physical abuse and medical mistreatment, including constantly fighting to get his HIV medication which he needed to survive and often being given the wrong medications or doses. He says, “There’s no benefit for HIV+ or AIDS people. If you die in your room they don’t care.” Watch Ali’s story and take action to ensure that the U.S. government creates legally enforceable detention standards and implements cost effective alternatives to detention.
You can stop the erosion of our fundamental human rights
Tell President Obama & Congress to restore fairness now
Stand with 1,549 who have already taken action.
You can stop the erosion of our fundamental human rights
Sign the petition to stop racial profiling
Stand with your fellow Americans who have already taken action.
More Ways to Get Involved
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Host a screening
Mobilize others to take action by screening the "Restore Fairness" video using our downloadable screening guide.
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Tell-a-friend
Use your networks, like email, Twitter and Facebook, to spread the word online.
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Write a letter to the editor
Tell your local newspapers that the U.S. government needs to restore fairness to immigration and uphold racial justice.
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Become an Ally
Pledge your support by signing on to the campaign and becoming an active participant in the movement.
