On July 26,Belgium Freedom for Immigrants' toll-free hotline was featured on one of the episodes of Orange Is The New Black's final season. Just a week and a half later on August 7, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shut it down. Almost three weeks after the shut down, calls for the re-opening of the Freedom for Immigrants hotline persist, per NBC News.
OITNB has been praised for its ability to represent stories that mimic those of real, incarcerated women on-screen. In line with the show's overarching activist narrative, Diane Guerrero's character Maritzia has a true-to-life deportation storyline in the show's final season. With an immigration hearing looming on the horizon, Maritzia calls Freedom for Immigrants' toll-free hotline in search of a pro bono lawyer. After its hotline was featured on the show, the California-based organization proudly made sure to affirm the hotline's existence.
ICE dismantled the hotline's toll-free component on August 7, essentially shutting the service down. In a statement, ICE told NBC News that all of the enforcement agency's facilities "provide detainees with reasonable and equitable access to telephones." The agency elaborated, stating that three-way calls and call forwarding, services that are offered by Freedom for Immigrants' hotline, are "strictly prohibited."
Leaders of Freedom for Immigrants disagreed with the narrative presented by the federal agency, which has received immense criticism for its increased public presence throughout Trump's presidency.
"ICE is attempting to silence its critics and block people in immigration detention from connecting with communities on the outside. It's disappointing but not unexpected that Trump's ICE would engage in such cruel and undemocratic behavior,” Christina Fialho, Freedom for Immigrants' co-executive director and co-founder, told Mashable in a statement.
Cynthia M. Galaz, the organization's National Hotline Director echoed that sentiment: "I think it would be a stretch of the imagination to believe the [shutdown] of our hotline is motivated by anything but ICE’s desire to silence one of its loudest critics. This is not the first time that ICE uses excuses to prevent us from exposing abuses and conditions in immigration detention,” she told Mashable.
In response to the shutdown, Fialho and Galaz sent a cease-and-desist letter to ICE on August 22, arguing a violation of the organization's first amendment rights. As a follow up, a letter of support signed by members of Congress, and members of the OITNB cast and production crew in partnership with 121 other organizations was sent to ICE.
Topics Activism Netflix
Here are the glorious proposed logos for Donald Trump's Space Force
Best iPad deal: Save $70 on 10th Gen Apple iPad
NYT mini crossword answers for February 2, 2025
Best robot vacuum deal: Save $755 on Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra
Why Building a Gaming PC Right Now is a Bad Idea, Part 1: Expensive DDR4 Memory
Ottawa Senators vs. Nashville Predators 2025 livestream: Watch NHL for free
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
Dallas Mavericks vs. Philadelphia 76ers 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
Bomb Envy
Best robot vacuum deal: Save $755 on Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra
LA Galaxy vs. Tigres 2025 livestream: Watch Concacaf Champions Cup for free
Pro Bowl Games 2025 livestream: How to watch NFL online
Super Bowl LIX livestreams: How to watch Chiefs vs Eagles for free without cable
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
The Mismeasure of Media
Best Nvidia Shield TV Pro deal: Save $20 on the ultimate media server and 4K HDR streaming device
Best Valentine's Day deal: Amazon Fresh has BOGO Valentine's Day candy
25 of the best romantic comedies streaming on Netflix
Best tablet deal: Get the Google Pixel Tablet for $120 off at Amazon
Best Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra deal: Save $200 at Best Buy
Millennials are hopelessly hooked on coffee and they're pushing demand upA Maori man performed this soul'Grand Tour' hosts Clarkson and May talk self2 billion children are breathing toxic air, UNICEF reportsThe horse race 'that stops a nation' cops a sledging on social mediaThe Rock teams up with YouTube Spaces, Jason Blum for Halloween videos10 books that helped Colson Whitehead write 'The Underground Railroad'Billionaire Peter Thiel: 'SingleElection got you down? You can't go wrong voting the 'Sausage Party'Billionaire Peter Thiel: 'SingleThe ugly intersection of World Series racism and the Dakota Access PipelineAdele opens up about her battle with postpartum depressionScientists built a 'nightmare machine' just to scare you senselessLeBron James trolled the Warriors like a true champ for HalloweenThe horse race 'that stops a nation' cops a sledging on social media10 of the hottest Samsung Note7 costumes this HalloweenDwayne 'The Rock' Johnson dances in Pikachu costume for his baby daughterAdele opens up about her battle with postpartum depressionTrapped toddler nails genius mouse Halloween costumeA simple Twitter change has already led to confusion and frustration Paul Hollywood is staying on 'Bake Off' and everyone is making the same joke 'Mr. Robot' Season 2 finale review The Vamp Stereo repurposes old speakers with great new sound What If Microsoft Had Released an Officebook Instead of the Surface RT Digital finance could add $3.7 trillion to emerging economies, report says Hackers leak copy of Michelle Obama's passport, but is it real? Indigenous Australians the oldest living civilisation on Earth, study affirms 11 outdated technology moments from 'Friends' on its 22nd anniversary 'Designated Survivor' will be a heavy, hokey hit Trump campaign chair says there was 'no racism' before Obama Man shot during protests in Charlotte dies 'You're The Worst' Recap: Season 3 examines complete darkness Watching orcas swimming in the wild on live cam is why we have internet This mysterious tweet from the official 'Harry Potter' site is intriguing the internet 7 reasons why you shouldn't update your iPhone to iOS 10 What this Yahoo data breach means for you CNN reporter bodychecked to ground amid violent protests in Charlotte 8 strange Patronus results I got from that Pottermore quiz Mary Berry is leaving 'The Great British Bake Off' and no one can cope Happy fall! Pumpkin spice pizza is now a thing.