RT Article
T1 The Mariel Cubans and John Lewis's Legacy on Human Rights
JF Journal of law and religion
VO 37
IS 1
SP 50
OP 54
A1 Camp, Michael
LA English
PB Cambridge Univ. Press
YR 2022
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1806886227
AB This essay examines Representative John Lewis's engagement with the 1987 uprising of Cuban immigrant detainees held in Atlanta's federal penitentiary, which occurred near the beginning of Lewis's time in Congress. Cuban prisoners at the penitentiary took control of the institution and detained several hostages in order to forestall their deportation back to Cuba. After the uprising ended, in contrast to other public figures who advocated harsh punitive treatment, Lewis urged mercy and compassion for the prisoners. Lewis's involvement in the story revealed his underlying understanding of human rights, which he connected to his experiences in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This broad conception of human rights shaped his engagement with issues of immigration throughout the remainder of his congressional career, especially during the administration of President Donald Trump. Lewis's engagement with issues of immigration is also especially noteworthy in light of metro Atlanta's emergence as a key site for the settlement of immigrants and refugees from around the world, which continues to shape the politics of the metro area.
K1 Human Rights
K1 Immigration
K1 Incarceration
DO 10.1017/jlr.2021.66