"Lost in Detention," a Public Broadcasting System Frontline program that examines the hidden world of our government's immigration detention centers, will be screened in a Community Forum at the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Newbury Park on Friday, June 7.
The 7:30 p.m. screening will be followed by a discussion about local efforts that are part of a nationwide movement to reduce the isolation and mistreatment of immigrants locked up in indefinite detention.
In the PBS program, correspondent Maria Hinojosa reports on the Obama Administration's policy on border enforcement that has resulted in the deportation of 1 million immigrants since the president took office, about double the rate during the Bush years. The get-tough policy has brought complaints of abuse and harsh treatment, including charges that families have been unfairly separated after being caught up in the nationwide dragnet.
Enforcement has been stepped up as the president has been pressing Congress to enact broad immigration reforms. The PBS program contains mature content, including graphic language and descriptions of sexual abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.
After the screening, the Rev. Lora Brandis, minister of the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and member Gordon Clint will lead a discussion about the immigrant detention system. They recently toured the Adelanto Detention Facility, a for-profit prison in the desert which holds immigrants from much of Southern California.
Clint is an advisory board member with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice-Ventura County (CLUE-VC) and an organizer of a detainee visitation program with CLUE-VC and the Friends of Adelanto Detainees coalition. Interfaith teams of visitors will meet with detainees, learn their stories and how they are being treated, and raise community awareness about the scale and human cost of the government's $2 billion per year immigrant detention system.
The program is open to the public and free; donations will be accepted. CVUUF is located at 3327 Old Conejo Road, off the Wendy Drive freeway exit in Newbury Park. For information, visit forum.cvuuf.org.
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