Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC)

Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the only organization providing a consistent community presence and independent oversight of the immigration detention system.

We work to end the isolation and abuse of people in U.S. immigration detention through visitation, independent monitoring, storytelling, and advocacy.

CIVIC’s theory of change begins with empathy. The heart of CIVIC’s work is community-based and volunteer-run immigration detention visitation programs; CIVIC visitors equip detained immigrants with the tools to endure detention, pursue legal relief, and win release from detention. These programs also engage volunteers in the problems inherent in immigration detention, and over time, transform them into committed and empathetic advocates.
 
CIVIC is planning to continue to scale its model to all 250 immigration detention facilities across the country with the ultimate goal of creating a community of individuals and institutions that has the collective power and momentum to defund detention in the United States by 2025.