It is 2020
The United States of America are still operating concentration camps.
In the midst of a deadly viral pandemic, more than 50,000 people are still detained in migrant detention every day. Their living conditions are appalling – defined by overcrowding, cruelty and neglect. Many are made to sleep on floors, in cages, on the ground outside, or forced to stand packed together in small holding cells. Detainees are denied protective equipment, healthcare, and even basic sanitary supplies.
According to the AILA, 11 detainees have died in ICE custody in 2020. Of these, 4 were suicides, and 3 deadly cases of COVID-19. The first pandemic related death was recorded on May 6th, at which time more than 200 detainees in that facility alone were already believed to be infected.
The media has gone quiet on these facilities, and yet very little has changed. It can be overwhelming to recognise that people continue to live in these conditions, but anybody with a modicum of human empathy knows that it cannot be tolerated.
We must do something
– anything – to help.
Pencils in the Margin is connecting artists, writers and other creators with the aid organisations working on the ground on behalf of detainees – from humanitarian shelters to pro-bono migrant law services, human rights initiatives, and people working tirelessly to free inmates and reunite families separated at the border.
You donate your money, we donate our time. Simply follow direct links from our curated list of charities and send your donation receipts to the artists who have ‘adopted’ those organisations.
It’s very simple: The more you give, the more you get.