Revived Amnesty International chapter to meet with Cohen
By: Jared Hudson
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: News
Meeting Rep. Steve Cohen is just one of the topics a group of students at The University of Memphis will discuss at 4:45 p.m. today in the FedEx Institute of Technology.
The students, who are reviving the campus chapter of Amnesty International this semester, plan on meeting Cohen in two to three weeks to talk about immigration detention in America. The campus chapter has been inactive since last fall.
Stopping immigration detention - the detention of someone on suspicion that they're in the country illegally - is one of the causes supported by human rights organization Amnesty International.
According to Amnesty International's website, more than 30,000 people were put in detention in 2008 - up from 10,000 in 1996. Some of those are U.S. citizens.
Members of the group said they will meet Cohen to discuss their human rights concerns at Amnesty International's Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.
Jonathan Bennett, who is heading up the effort to resurrect the student organization, said the campus group decided to meet with Cohen because of his political clout and his sympathy to the cause.
"In contrast to (Sen. Bob) Corker and other representatives, Cohen would be more (receptive) to human rights," said Bennett, junior majoring in political science, economics, international relations and German. "Our legislative coordinator has more contact with him, and Amnesty has a few bills they want him to pass."
Bennett said the group would like Cohen to put pressure on Congress to enforce bills that would improve how immigration detainees are treated and create penalties for non-compliance.
"We want him to work with other legislators to create bills that provide a solution to this problem," Bennett said.
Because the national chapter of Amnesty International is having regional organizations throughout the country lobby congressmen about the issue, Bennett said that he thought it would be a good idea for students at The U of M to lobby Cohen.
The students, who are reviving the campus chapter of Amnesty International this semester, plan on meeting Cohen in two to three weeks to talk about immigration detention in America. The campus chapter has been inactive since last fall.
Stopping immigration detention - the detention of someone on suspicion that they're in the country illegally - is one of the causes supported by human rights organization Amnesty International.
According to Amnesty International's website, more than 30,000 people were put in detention in 2008 - up from 10,000 in 1996. Some of those are U.S. citizens.
Members of the group said they will meet Cohen to discuss their human rights concerns at Amnesty International's Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.
Jonathan Bennett, who is heading up the effort to resurrect the student organization, said the campus group decided to meet with Cohen because of his political clout and his sympathy to the cause.
"In contrast to (Sen. Bob) Corker and other representatives, Cohen would be more (receptive) to human rights," said Bennett, junior majoring in political science, economics, international relations and German. "Our legislative coordinator has more contact with him, and Amnesty has a few bills they want him to pass."
Bennett said the group would like Cohen to put pressure on Congress to enforce bills that would improve how immigration detainees are treated and create penalties for non-compliance.
"We want him to work with other legislators to create bills that provide a solution to this problem," Bennett said.
Because the national chapter of Amnesty International is having regional organizations throughout the country lobby congressmen about the issue, Bennett said that he thought it would be a good idea for students at The U of M to lobby Cohen.