For Immediate Release
July 19, 2022
Contacts:
Arianna Rosales, National Immigration Project, arianna@nipnlg.org
Washington, DC - In light of the Supreme Court's rights-stripping decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, today, 156 immigration, criminal justice, and civil rights organizations sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging the agency to immediately issue clear guidance to prevent the Dobbs decision from adding another layer of danger for noncitizens who exercise control over their bodies and their reproductive futures and people who help them seek the same freedom.
The letter, led by the National Immigration Project (NIPNLG), National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Immigrant Justice Center, ACLU, Immigration Hub, ASISTA Immigration Assistance, and the Vera Institute of Justice, calls on DHS to:
- not use any abortion care-related arrest or conviction as a basis for any immigration enforcement action, nor consider it a barrier to any form of immigration relief;
- ensure that all people held in DHS custody have timely access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion care, regardless of the laws of the states where they may be detained; and
- ensure that DHS will not deter or interfere with people's ability to safely and freely travel from and return to their states and communities of residence for abortion care, regardless of their immigration status.
Said Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director of the National Immigration Project:
"The Dobbs ruling will disproportionately impact people who already encounter systemic barriers to reproductive health care, including migrants and undocumented people for whom contact with the criminal legal system can lead to detention, deportation, and family separation. DHS has an urgent responsibility to set clear guidelines to ensure this rights-stripping decision does not add yet another layer of harm to the immigration system in this country. As dozens of states rush to criminalize receiving, providing, and aiding access to abortion care, DHS must set clear guidelines that prevent its agencies from deterring or interfering with people's ability to safely and freely seek necessary health care services, including abortion."
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The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG) is a national non-profit organization that provides technical assistance and support to community-based immigrant organizations, legal practitioners, and all advocates seeking and working to advance the rights of noncitizens. NIPNLG utilizes impact litigation, advocacy, and public education to pursue its mission. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow NIPNLG on social media: National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild on Facebook, @NIPNLG on Twitter and Instagram.