SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Demonstrators at immigrant justice march in San Francisco October 5, 2013.
Under U.S. President Barack Obama, the war on drugs is driving a surge in deportations of non-U.S. citizens, ripping families apart for alleged drug possession--including the most minor amounts and in many cases years after the fact--a new report from Human Rights Watch reveals.
A Price Too High: US Families Torn Apart By Deportations for Drug Offenses (pdf) is based on data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as over 130 interviews with impacted people, lawyers, and authorities.
The 93-page report finds that deportations for drug charges increased by 43 percent between 2007 and 2012.
During this time period, 260,000 people were exiled from the country for drug offenses--and 34,000 of them for alleged marijuana possession.
While ICE claims it didn't keep track of the status of those deported, the study finds that the U.S. "is deporting a significant number of both permanent residents and undocumented individuals with strong family and community ties to the U.S., often for minor or old drug offenses."
"Unauthorized immigrants with any drug conviction, even a minor possession offense, face a lifetime bar from ever gaining legal status even if they have close U.S. citizen relatives," states the report.
According to the study, this trend is occurring despite growing criticism of the war on drugs and mass incarceration.
"Even as many U.S. states are legalizing and decriminalizing some drugs, or reducing sentences for drug offenses, federal immigration policy too often imposes exile for the same offenses," said Grace Meng, Human Rights Watch researcher and report author, in a press statement.
Marsha Austin, a 67-year-old great-grandmother, is one of the people impacted by these harsh policies. Austin is fighting deportation for a drug conviction from 20 years ago, even though she is in recovery from addiction. "Austin is desperate to remain in the U.S.," states the report. "Her husband is in very bad health, as is her daughter who suffered a breakdown after her own daughter's serious illness. Austin said, 'My kids and grandkids, that's what I'm living for now.'"
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Under U.S. President Barack Obama, the war on drugs is driving a surge in deportations of non-U.S. citizens, ripping families apart for alleged drug possession--including the most minor amounts and in many cases years after the fact--a new report from Human Rights Watch reveals.
A Price Too High: US Families Torn Apart By Deportations for Drug Offenses (pdf) is based on data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as over 130 interviews with impacted people, lawyers, and authorities.
The 93-page report finds that deportations for drug charges increased by 43 percent between 2007 and 2012.
During this time period, 260,000 people were exiled from the country for drug offenses--and 34,000 of them for alleged marijuana possession.
While ICE claims it didn't keep track of the status of those deported, the study finds that the U.S. "is deporting a significant number of both permanent residents and undocumented individuals with strong family and community ties to the U.S., often for minor or old drug offenses."
"Unauthorized immigrants with any drug conviction, even a minor possession offense, face a lifetime bar from ever gaining legal status even if they have close U.S. citizen relatives," states the report.
According to the study, this trend is occurring despite growing criticism of the war on drugs and mass incarceration.
"Even as many U.S. states are legalizing and decriminalizing some drugs, or reducing sentences for drug offenses, federal immigration policy too often imposes exile for the same offenses," said Grace Meng, Human Rights Watch researcher and report author, in a press statement.
Marsha Austin, a 67-year-old great-grandmother, is one of the people impacted by these harsh policies. Austin is fighting deportation for a drug conviction from 20 years ago, even though she is in recovery from addiction. "Austin is desperate to remain in the U.S.," states the report. "Her husband is in very bad health, as is her daughter who suffered a breakdown after her own daughter's serious illness. Austin said, 'My kids and grandkids, that's what I'm living for now.'"
Under U.S. President Barack Obama, the war on drugs is driving a surge in deportations of non-U.S. citizens, ripping families apart for alleged drug possession--including the most minor amounts and in many cases years after the fact--a new report from Human Rights Watch reveals.
A Price Too High: US Families Torn Apart By Deportations for Drug Offenses (pdf) is based on data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as over 130 interviews with impacted people, lawyers, and authorities.
The 93-page report finds that deportations for drug charges increased by 43 percent between 2007 and 2012.
During this time period, 260,000 people were exiled from the country for drug offenses--and 34,000 of them for alleged marijuana possession.
While ICE claims it didn't keep track of the status of those deported, the study finds that the U.S. "is deporting a significant number of both permanent residents and undocumented individuals with strong family and community ties to the U.S., often for minor or old drug offenses."
"Unauthorized immigrants with any drug conviction, even a minor possession offense, face a lifetime bar from ever gaining legal status even if they have close U.S. citizen relatives," states the report.
According to the study, this trend is occurring despite growing criticism of the war on drugs and mass incarceration.
"Even as many U.S. states are legalizing and decriminalizing some drugs, or reducing sentences for drug offenses, federal immigration policy too often imposes exile for the same offenses," said Grace Meng, Human Rights Watch researcher and report author, in a press statement.
Marsha Austin, a 67-year-old great-grandmother, is one of the people impacted by these harsh policies. Austin is fighting deportation for a drug conviction from 20 years ago, even though she is in recovery from addiction. "Austin is desperate to remain in the U.S.," states the report. "Her husband is in very bad health, as is her daughter who suffered a breakdown after her own daughter's serious illness. Austin said, 'My kids and grandkids, that's what I'm living for now.'"