Sanmati Verma

Dec 12, 2024 | crikey.com.au | Sanmati Verma

Though it is unimaginable today, the border between the United States and Mexico remained relatively open until the 1960s. Migrants from Mexico travelled across it in their thousands, engaging in seasonal and cyclical work, returning to their families at the end of every season, or when the rhythms of life required it.  From the 1960s onwards, a wave of protectionist sentiment propelled the introduction of laws and policies to regulate movement across the southern border.

Jun 5, 2024 | canberratimes.com.au | Sanmati Verma |Hannah Dickinson

Behind the headlines, the recent debate about immigration detention and visa cancellation has nothing to do with community safety. At its heart, the debate is about where we draw the line when it comes to our governments' power to exclude and punish people based on their visa status. Subscribe now for unlimited access.

May 9, 2024 | theguardian.com | Sanmati Verma

Legal language can conceal what it seeks to describe. It can be an emollient, glossing over the violent specificity of things. Consider “indefinite detention”. It is almost benign in its imprecision, evoking a state of affairs that could be brought to an end at any moment. For nearly 20 years, the term was threaded through legal textbooks and judgments and has inoculated us against what it truly means to lock people up without a fixed endpoint – potentially for the rest of their lives.

Nov 15, 2023 | smh.com.au | Sanmati Verma

Every day, Australian citizens who have been convicted of a crime and have served their time are released into the community. Sentences don't last forever - they are supposed to allow for rehabilitation and re-entry into the community, not senseless punishment. People are allowed to go back to their families and communities and get on with their lives.

Nov 15, 2023 | hrlc.org.au | Sanmati Verma

Electronic monitoring and curfews involve profound interference with personal freedom and dignity. To be clear, they are forms of ongoing punishment. In Canada, where electronic bracelets are used, migrants report that the devices routinely malfunction, causing their workplaces or homes to be raided by immigration authorities.