Immigration Detention

03/14/2013

Which Would You Prefer – Spending $164 or $15?

By Michael Tan, Staff Attorney, Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU at 10:18am

This week and next, the House and Senate will hold hearings (including this one today) to address the reported release of between several hundred and several thousand immigration detainees from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") custody. Although complete information about the releases is not yet available, ICE's justification that it had determined these individuals could be "placed on an appropriate, more cost-effective form of supervised release" raises a fundamental question, posed among others by Secretary Janet Napolitano herself: why were these individuals detained in the first place?

03/08/2013

Immigration Detention

Immigration Detainees Deserve Fair Hearings

By Michael Kaufman, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Southern California at 11:45am

Apparently as a result of sequester-induced budget cuts, Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently released hundreds of immigration detainees that it found were not risks either to flee or endanger public safety. The fact that these detainees were locked up in the first place confirms a startling truth about our immigration detention system: the government routinely detains people for no good reason. Even Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano promised to examine why these detainees were in jail, saying: "That's a good question. I've asked the same question myself...so we're looking into it."

02/07/2013

Immigration Detention

The Problem of Prolonged Incarceration of Immigrants

By Julia Harumi Mass, ACLU of Northern California at 11:24am

Bertha Mejia is a 53-year-old grandmother who fled political violence and sexual abuse in her native El Salvador as a girl. She has four U.S. citizen children and is the primary caretaker for her 9-year-old grandson, Pablo. The victim of rape at the hands of her employer, Ms. Mejia has a strong case for a "U-visa," a type of visa for victims of crime who cooperate with law enforcement. The police have already certified that Ms. Mejia is a victim who has assisted the police in apprehending the perpetrator.

01/25/2013

Anti-Immigrant Laws

Border Communities’ Needs in Federal Immigration Reform Legislation

By Vicki B. Gaubeca, ACLU of New Mexico at 1:40pm

While the ACLU is encouraged that there is renewed interest in immigration reform, we urge the Obama Administration to develop and champion proposals that are grounded in Americans’ fundamental values of equality and justice for all. One area of particular concern is the conventional wisdom in some circles about a purported need for additional resources dedicated to border enforcement. Those of us who live in border communities can attest that what is truly needed is more accountability by border enforcement agencies and reducing, not expanding, an already-bloated border enforcement system. This week, the ACLU of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights submitted a letter to President Obama that makes this case based on values and empirical evidence.

01/23/2013

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ICE's New Policy Doesn't Fix the Constitutional Problems with Detainers

By Kate Desormeau, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project at 2:07pm

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) claims that its recently announced new policy on immigration detainers is a major step toward “smarter immigration enforcement,” and it seems to have convinced some editorial boards that that’s true. But serious problems remain.

01/21/2013

Immigration Detention

Mr. President, What Will Be Your Civil Rights Legacy?

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 10:09am

Watching President Obama take the Oath of Office four years ago was a historic moment I will never forget. I remember meeting him when he was an Illinois state senator...

01/18/2013

Anti-Immigrant Laws

Curtailing Immigration Prison System Can Reduce Spending Without Hurting Public Safety

By Michael Tan, Staff Attorney, Immigrants' Rights Project, ACLU & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 11:17am

Today, Roll Call published an op-ed we wrote on how curtailing immigration prisons is an easy way for Congress to begin to reduce the deficit, cut government spending, and reform our flawed immigration system.

In addition, there are several steps the Obama Administration can and should take now, without waiting for Congress, to reduce its unnecessary and expensive reliance on immigration prisons. Here are four:

01/15/2013

Immigration Detention

Mr. President, What Will Be Your Civil Rights Legacy?

By Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:44am

Watching President Obama take the Oath of Office four years ago was a historic moment I will never forget. I remember meeting him when he was an Illinois state senator...

01/02/2013

287(g)

The Consequences and Costs of a 287(g) Jail Agreement: One Tennessee County’s Story

By Lindsay Kee, ACLU of Tennessee at 1:31pm

Though street-level 287(g) agreements are ending, ICE is continuing the troubled 287(g) program in jails

12/13/2012

287(g)

Petitions, Sign-on Letter Sent to Administration Calling for End to Controversial Immigration Program

By Abdi Soltani, ACLU of Northern California & Joanne Lin, Washington Legislative Office at 12:03pm

Communities across the country are saying no to 287(g)...

American Civil Liberties Union