Ted Deutch: “I have a letter of support for this amendment that is signed by 66 local, national and State groups, which I submit for…”

“I have a letter of support for this amendment that is signed by 66 local, national and State groups, which I submit for the Record. June 5, 2013. Re H.R. 2217--Support Rep. Deutch's Amendment to Eliminate the Immigration Detention Bed Mandate Hon. John Boehner, Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi: As organizations that work to protect and advance the rights of individuals in immigration detention, we write to encourage bipartisan support of Rep. Deutch's amendment (co-sponsored by Rep. Foster) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act, H.R. 2217, that would eliminate the immigration detention bed mandate. Congress has mandated through appropriations that DHS maintain a daily immigration detention level of 34,000 individuals, a micro-managing approach that does not exist in any other law enforcement context. DHS already uses a Risk Assessment Tool to help determine whether an individual presents a risk of flight or a risk to public safety and whether that person should be detained. Yet the bed ``mandate'' precludes the agency from making decisions about detention based on its enforcement priorities, policies, and need.…”