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Update

For PDF version, click here: 07.22.2019 AIUSA Testimony for Labor-H Hearing Chairwoman DeLauro, Ranking Member Cole, and Members of the Subcommittee: On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our two million members and supporters in the United States, I thank the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies for the opportunity to submit this testimony.   Today’s hearing is a critical opportunity to examine the conditions in which migrant children seeking safety here are being held, including the protracted use of influx facilities, which are utterly unsuited to properly care for this vulnerable population and are…

July 24, 2019

Update

For PDF version, click here: 07.23.2019 Amnesty International Recommends VOTE YES on HR 549 (Venezuela TPS) July 23, 2019 Amnesty International USA Recommends VOTE YES on the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 (H.R. 549) On behalf of Amnesty International USA and our over two million members and supporters in the United States, we recommend you VOTE YES on H.R. 549, which would grant Venezuelan nationals in the United States Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS is a necessary response to a human rights crisis and is critical to demonstrating the U.S. government’s solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our regional neighbors.…

July 23, 2019

Press Release

Responding to reports that the Department of Health and Human Services will be shutting down the facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, Denise Bell, the Researcher for Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International USA said:  “The closure of the Carrizo Springs facility makes clear the crisis of the government’s own making: these temporary emergency facilities arose because of the government’s deliberate policy to punish children, resulting in the prolonged and indefinite detention of thousands of children.  “Temporary emergency shelters are never a home for children, and Carrizo and other detention facilities like it only demonstrate that these disastrous policies only…

July 23, 2019

Update

To view PDF click here: Human Rights on Capitol Hill July Human Rights on Capitol Hill  published by Amnesty International USA  July 23, 2019 In this edition of Human Rights on Capitol Hill: 1) State Department - Amnesty International USA Denounces Secretary Pompeo’s Commission on Unalienable Rights 2) U.S.-Mexico Border a) Amnesty International USA Executive Director Will Testify on Child Detention at House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing b) Amnesty International USA Calls for the Immediate Closure of the Homestead Child Detention Facility c) DOJ Must Drop Charges Against Humanitarian Aid Worker Scott Warren 3) U.S. Refugee Program - Amnesty International USA…

July 23, 2019

Press Release

President Duterte’s call to revive the death penalty during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) will only worsen the country’s climate of impunity amid the government’s deadly anti-drugs campaign, Amnesty International said today.

July 22, 2019

Press Release

Responding to reports that some in the Trump Administration are considering lowering the number of refugees to be admitted through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to zero for the coming fiscal year, Ryan Mace, the grassroots advocacy and refugee specialist for Amnesty International USA, said: “The United States used to be a leader in providing refuge to those in need, all around the world. We can’t say that anymore. It is beyond shameful and a new low, even for this administration, to even consider accepting no refugees to the U.S.  “People are in need all over the world - families,…

July 18, 2019

Report

The Homestead facility housing children who traveled alone to the United States must be shut down as quickly as possible, a new Amnesty International USA report finds, and children should immediately be placed in licensed, small-size shelters and released to appropriate sponsors.  The unlawful conditions at this facility are a direct result of US government policies designed to punish rather than protect people trying to rebuild their lives.

July 17, 2019

Press Release

Google must now go one step further and commit to never aid China’s large-scale censorship and surveillance. The company’s past evasiveness on this issue leaves the door open to future abuses. CEO Sundar Pichai should make a definitive statement that it will not engage in any project in China that undermines human rights full stop.

July 17, 2019

Press Release

The US government published a new interim rule that would prevent anyone at the US southern border who has traveled through another country on the way to the United States from seeking asylum here. This new rule would prevent anyone other than people from Mexico or Canada from seeking asylum in the United States.

July 15, 2019

Press Release

On the tenth anniversary of the murder of prominent Chechen human rights defender Natalia Estemirova, Amnesty International and 12 international and Russian human rights groups are calling on the Russian authorities to fulfill their long-overdue obligation to effectively investigate this horrendous crime and bring the perpetrators to justice in fair trials. “The courage and selflessness of Natalia Estemirova, who investigated abductions, extrajudicial executions and other grave violations of human rights in Chechnya, was unparalleled. There is no doubt that she paid with her life for this fearless work. Ten years on, the Russian authorities have manifestly failed to find the…

July 15, 2019

Press Release

Gay and trans soldiers in South Korea face violence, harassment and pervasive discrimination due to the criminalization of consensual sex between men in the military, Amnesty International said as it released a new report outlining why this unjust law must be abolished.

July 11, 2019

Press Release

Responding to the announcement of thousands of raids planned for Sunday by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Charanya Krishnaswami, the Advocacy Director for the Americas at Amnesty International USA said: "This announcement is an extension of President Trump’s relentless hostility to immigrants. It serves to encourage hate and discrimination toward immigrants and communities of color, creating a climate of fear for many people including those fearing racial profiling. "While it’s also concerning that we don’t know anything about what these plans will look like, it’s not unreasonable to be concerned that people facing deportation will not have adequate time…

July 11, 2019