Detention Watch Network

Non-profit OrganizationsDistrict of Columbia, United States11-50 Employees

Detention Watch Network is a small nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that coordinates a national coalition dedicated to ending immigration detention in the United States. The group pursues abolition through coordinated advocacy, grassroots organizing, and strategic communications to build political and public support. It works with partner organizations and communities affected by detention to amplify their voices and influence policy debates around detention expansion. DWN was founded in 1997 by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service in response to rapid growth in the immigration detention system following the 1996 laws. As a nonprofit in the immigrant-rights sector, it positions itself as a national actor focused on systemic change rather than service delivery. A recent development includes a 2025 partnership with Public Citizen Inc. to support joint actions, such as the Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos events honoring the lives lost in ICE detention.

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