Detention centers isolate illegal immigrants and deny them rights, report says

Illegal immigrants held in federal detention centers in the United States are mostly isolated from immigration attorneys and not informed on their rights, a new study finds. The Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center surveyed detention centers nationwide and found that 78% of detainees were prohibited calls to lawyers.

Our story from the Tribune Washington Bureau reports: "More than 80% of detainees were in facilities that were isolated and beyond the reach of legal aid organizations, resulting in heavy caseloads of 100 detainees per immigration attorney, the survey found. Ten percent of detainees were held in facilities in which they had no access at all to legal aid groups."

The full report is available here.

Immigration detention facilities place detainees in isolation, putting their health and life at risk, rights advocates have said. Such findings have been reached by Amnesty International (see the report "Jailed Without Justice") and Human Rights Watch (see the report "Detained and Dismissed").

Numerous cases of deaths inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention system have garnered national media attention. A transgender woman, Victoria Arellano, died in detention in 2007 in San Pedro, Calif., for lack of access to AIDS medications. Picked up at traffic stops or workplace raids, immigrants are detained in any of the 350 federal centers, which are mostly located in sparsely populated areas. Detainees are often transferred far from their attorneys or doctors, and from their homes and families.

Detention and deportation of undocumented migrants in the United States has risen under President Obama, but the ProPublica news organization recently reported that policy is also shifting to reducing deportations of undocumented immigrants who have not committed serious crimes. Obama said during his presidential campaign that comprehensive immigration reform would be one of the top priorities of his first year in office. But the Obama administration has put the issue on the table for lack of reliable support among Republicans in Congress and because of division within the White House over immigration reform.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

Photo: The Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga. Credit: Associated Press

Comments

[lori pacheco]

hello to all you people you dont have a heart i hope oneday it not you out there needing help like these people are you know what we are all humans and dont no one give a care about the illegals well i do mine is and they got him and he is not in stewart jail and i hope that someone there hurts him are anything else because i have a heart unlike you bunches of dummys in here

[Stubby]

Who cares about Victoria Arellano!

Now we're supposed to provide expensive medical treatment for detained illegals gathered up after illegally crossing the border? This couldn't be made up. The apprehension of a transgender, illegal alien with aids who dies in detention because she was deprived of aids medicine? Give me a break.

These criminals have no rights and the thought of providing legal assistance via immigration attorneys is an insult to the taxpayers.

How does placing these imbeciles in a detention center put their health and life at risk any more than sneaking across our desert or herded in by coyotes who rape and pillage.

I would like to see us use land mines, armed military and air support to put a stop to this garbage. No more border jumpers. It has to stop.

[Carol]

Only violent criminals are being deported now, while Americans are losing jobs to illegal aliens, foreigners who do not have any respect for our laws. If the DREAM Act is passed next week, ANY illegal alien would be able to submit a petition for citizenship for themselves (and later sponsor their relatives), in which they CLAIM to meet certain age requirements, etc., but there is no provision in the DREAM Act that requires the aliens to provide PROOF that the claims are true. AMNESTY FOR EVERYONE!!! This proposal reminds me of the bank bailouts, where bankers were handed billions of dollars, but were not required to disclose what they did with the money.

[James Varela]

These people broke the law but they deserve the same rights under the law anyone else would get. By mistreating them all we cause anti - Americanism in the world.

[DavidArizona]

All crime in Arizona has taken a very sharp drop lately. hmmm!
VIVA SB1070

[pjt2352]

Why doesn't Daniel Hernandez, in Mexico City, report on what Mexico is doing to try to keep her citizens home? Is it because he would have nothing to write about?

[Stephen]

Another article about the poor illegal aliens being arrested and treated like criminals. Excuse me but they are criminals. I don't feel sorry for them. They break our laws, victimize our citizens and drain scarce resources meant for Americans. You expect me to feel sorry for them? Go back to your home country and immigrate legally or not at all. The free ride is over, we're broke! ILLEGAL ALIENS GO HOME!

[Vu]

Why the citizens have to carry the burden to take care these people? They are not obligate to do so. These immigrants are illegal they are not obeying the laws. What part don't you get?

GO to China, Korea, South America, they treat you like trash if you are an illegal immigrant.

[blackone]

They have the right to go home. They have the right to stay home. Besides, that scenario is no different when minorities and poor people are jailed here in the U.S.

[JL]

Why would lawbreakers from a foreign country have any rights at all? The la times is so bizzare!

[ArizonaBear]

Memo to said illegal aliens: the whole lot of you need to be deported------------especially in this nasty recession.

We owe Mexico nothing: that sorry dysfunctional country needs to grow up and take responsibility for its colossal failures as a society.

[Dave-co]

Booo Hooo they get what they deserve. Illegal alien rats deserve NOTHING from the USA except jail and deportation. Come the rite way and they would not be in detention centers!!!

[Orlando]

Wow no negative comments from all those idiots about immigrants yet??I guess many of these so called "americans" decided to get a life

[David Olds]

Yesterday on NPR they said states go out of their way to make sure every illegal talks personally to a lawyer. The lawyers get paid $50 each or something. And they tell them their rights in large groups at a time. And after we send them back home they come right back over the border. I wonder how may billions of dollars we spend making sure millions of illegals get their rights. Wouldn't it just be cheaper to pay them $1,000 each to stay home? We are deeply in debt. It's like we are using a Chinese credit card our children will have to pay off.

[John]

They have no rights here.

[Deke]

Why do the illegal lovers think that people give a carp about illegals in detention? They are illegals, criminals who broke into this country and have probably committed other crimes as well. Criminals in jail or detention get what they deserve. Rights? Illegals have none, as they are not citizens. The left-wing, pro-illegal, open border journalists should quit wasting their time defending illegals and thinking stories like this one will make people feel sorry for them. Nope ! Could care less about criminal illegals.