NIRH Supports the Release of Activist Alejandra Pablos from Immigration Detention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2018

Immigrant rights and reproductive justice activist Alejandra Pablos has been detained at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona for over a month and will be appearing before a judge on April 19. The following statement was issued by Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH), which has worked closely with Alejandra’s organization and Alejandra personally for years to advance reproductive justice in Virginia:

“NIRH supports the release of Alejandra Pablos from immigration detention and urges the immigration judge at her bond hearing to take into consideration Alejandra’s strong commitment and ties to our community. Alejandra’s detention, and the targeting of leaders like her who are attacked for empowering and inspiring their communities, sets a dangerous precedent for the treatment of dissenters. No one should live in fear of deportation for exercising their constitutional right to free speech.

“Alejandra’s deep impact in the movements for reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, and immigrant rights can be felt all around the country — and her absence has both left a hole in our community, but has a chilling effect on the peaceful activism that is so central to our democracy. She is a bold and unwavering advocate for her community. We fully support her release from immigration detention.”

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About the National Institute for Reproductive Health

The National Institute for Reproductive Health builds power at the state and local level to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.

Using a partnership model, we provide state and local advocates with strategic guidance, hands-on support, and funding to create national change from the ground up. We form strategic partnerships with a wide range of organizations to directly impact the reproductive health and lives of women across the country. Each year, NIRH works in at least 20 states and more than a dozen localities; to date, NIRH has partnered with more than 150 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations in 39 states and 56 localities across the country. 

At the national level, NIRH engages in groundbreaking public opinion research, proactive policy initiatives, and innovative advocacy campaigns to shape a new national conversation about reproductive freedom.