About Freedom for Immigrants:
Freedom for Immigrants is devoted to abolishing immigration detention, while ending the isolation of people currently suffering in this profit-driven system. Since 2012, we have been monitoring conditions inside immigration detention facilities. Freedom for Immigrants also operates a free national hotline, which detained individuals can use to report abuses or request support. In the policy arena, we support federal and state-level policies pushing back against the expansion of immigration detention.
Organization Website: https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/
Contact Name: Toria Somerville
Contact Email: tsomerville@freedomforimmigrants.org
INTERNSHIP INFORMATION
Dates of Internship: late May/early June 2024 – August/September 2024)
Industry: Immigration/Civic Engagement, Social Justice
Preferred Academic Level: No preference
Description of Internship:
This is an exciting opportunity to support the work toward building a world without immigration detention. We are looking for someone to help manage FFI’s National Hotline Program. This position will require someone who is highly organized, has strong communication and writing skills, and can work independently. The main tasks include managing volunteers, database maintenance, analyzing data to create weekly reports, and advocacy tasks like writing federal complaints. This internship is fully remote and can be located anywhere in the U.S.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Exposing human rights violations inside detention centers through community outreach (i.e. on cases of physical assault, medical abuse, solitary confinement);
- Share information and resources with people in the detention facility to strengthen their ability to monitor and document abuse from the inside for self advocacy and support;
- Supporting management of the civil rights complaint submission project, including volunteer assignment, complaint tracking, documentation, and other tasks, as needed;
- Using a secure online case management and abuse documentation database to track rights violations that take place inside detention facilities;
- Managing mail correspondence to people detained;
- Expose human rights violations inside detention centers by mapping trends (i.e. medical neglect, physical abuse, etc);
- Answer calls on the FFI National Hotline from individuals in detention and share information and resources with them to strengthen their ability to document abuse from the inside;
- Update the Nationwide Detention Facility Resource Directory;
- Analyze impact of our advocacy work to support individuals in detention;
- Managing and supporting hotline volunteers including outreach, on boarding, and day-to-day support to the volunteers;
- Support the Senior National Detention Hotline Manager with other duties, as needed;
Qualifications:
Demonstrated commitment to immigrants’ rights, decarceration, and/or other social justice causes impacting communities of color, and a basic competency in race equity and inclusion;
Strong project management skills;
Strong writing and communication skills;
Basic proficiency with databases and spreadsheets;
This position requires a person with a high attention to detail who enjoys task-oriented work and can work independently;
Fluency in Spanish or other language(s) (French, indigenous languages, Arabic, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole) is a plus but not required;
Proficiency in Google Suite, Slack, and data entry software;
Potential to partner with university for compensation or class credit;
Benefits:
Gain invaluable experience managing a nationwide program and people;
Experience working at a national nonprofit alongside a committed team fighting to abolish immigration detention;
Practical experience working directly with people detained;
Shadowing, mentoring, and training opportunities;
Flexible and remote schedule;
