Broadview: Illinois’ Immigrant Detention Center
May 15th, 2009
After 2 and a half years of vigils, religious leaders gained access to Broadview Detention Center and will begin praying with immigrant detainees.
Immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are held at Broadview. While they await deportation, some detainees experience isolation and depression. And for those whose children are U.S. citizens, detention at Broadview means long-term family separation.Activists and religious leaders say offering spiritual support will help immigrant detainees through what can be an emotionally painful process.But while access to Broadview is a victory for immigrant rights groups, recent May Day marches remind us immigration reform still has a long way to go.On this episode of Community, Media & You, we’ll hear more about the victory at Broadview and how to improve our nation’s immigration system. Here with me is Jenny Dale of the Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition, Flavia Jimenez and Salvador Cervantes of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
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