Unbuild Walls (with Silky Shah)

The trauma of state-sanctioned family separations is shared by victims of immigrant detention and the family policing system (also known as the child welfare system). Additionally, immigrant detentions are so intertwined with the prison industrial complex that they are nearly the same. Abolitionists must see these systems as connected if we want to create a successful strategy to dismantle them.

This episode was recorded in the summer of 2024 and details the detention and separation policies of presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden. We discuss the call to Abolish ICE, prisoner uniforms on babies, and policies like SB4 in Texas that are being duplicated across the country.

Episode Guest:

Silky Shah is the executive director of Detention Watch Network, a national coalition building power to abolish immigration detention in the US. She is also the author of the recently published book,Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition (Haymarket Books, 2024). She has worked as an organizer on issues related to immigration detention, the prison industrial complex, and racial and migrant justice for over 20 years.

Episode Notes:

• Support the work of upEND:upendmovement.org/donate

• Silky mentions the campaigns ofGrassroots Leadership andFamilies Belong Together.

• Learn more aboutDetention Watch Network.

• ReadUnbuild Walls by Silky Shah.