Watcha Freedom Files shorton the conditions at the Hutto immigration detention center in Taylor,Texas >> Day laborers in Riverside, N.J. Learnmore about Dr. Bustamante's stops during the visit >> Seethe full itinerary >> Dr.Jorge A.Bustamante Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants ChristianRamirez of the American Friends Service Committee (left) and Dr.Bustamante speak with day laborers in Rancho Penasquitos in San Diego. Seemore pictures from the Special Rapporteur's visit >>

United Nations SpecialRapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants Visits U.S.

The UnitedNations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Dr. JorgeBustamante, visitedthe United States to review the conditions of migrants and immigrantsfrom April 30 through May 18.

UPDATE >Dr. Bustamante's report to the U.N. (3/7/2008) >Read the ACLU's statment to the Human Rights Council's 7th Session. (3/7/2008)

The American Civil Liberties Union was among the select organizationsand individuals that met with the Special Rapporteur totestify about human rights violations of immigrants living in theUnited States. The Special Rapporteur's officialvisit included tours of the U.S.-Mexico border and an immigrantdetentionfacility in Arizona.

Together with its affiliate officesand other organizations, the ACLU organized and facilitated publichearings and meetings for the Special Rapporteur with affectedcommunities, victims and national and local authorities. The ACLU hasworked recently on several issues pertaining to immigrants, includingefforts around local anti-immigrant ordinances, immigrant detentionfacilities, undocumented migrant workers, and trafficking of women andchildren.

Dr. Bustamante is an independent expertappointed by the U.N. Human RightsCouncil with the mandate to monitor, advise and publicly report onhuman rights situations in specific countries, including the UnitedStates, and on human rights violations worldwide. The SpecialRapporteur can only carry out a fact-finding mission at the request ofthe country concerned.

Read Dr. Bustamante's press statement at the conclusion of the visit>>

	JamilDakwar, Advocacy Director for the ACLU's Human Rights Program, talksabout the Special Rapporteur's mandate and the significance of thisvisit to the human rights community. podcast| streaming
	TomJawetz, Immigration Detention Staff Attorney for the ACLU's NationalPrison Project, discusses the conditions of confinement inside thecountry's immigrant detention facilities. podcast| streaming
	LucasGuttentag, Director of the Immigrants' Rights Project, discusses theACLU's top concerns for the immigrant community, includinganti-immigrant ordinances and post-9/11 changes to U.S. immigrationpolicy. podcast| streaming
Readabout Dr. Bustamante's visit at the ACLU Blog >>
PRESS RELEASES >International Human Rights Experts Denounce U.S. Record On Racial AndEthnic Discrimination (3/7/2008) >U.N. Independent Expert Denied Access to Hutto Detention Center (5/4/2007) >Federal Judge Rules Against Policy of Denying Marriage License on Basisof Immigration Status (5/1/2007) >U.N. Independent Expert on Rights of Migrants Begins Fact-FindingMission in United States (4/30/2007) (enEspañol) >Civil Rights Groups Sue Immigration Officials for Unlawfully DetainingSix-Year-Old U.S. Citizen (4/26/2007) >ACLU Sues U.S. Immigration Officials and For-Profit CorrectionsCorporation Over Dangerous and Inhumane Housing of Detainees (1/24/2007) >Trafficking and Exploitation of Migrant Domestic Workers by Diplomatsand Staff of International Organizations in the United States (1/17/2007) >Undocumented Workers Bring Plea for Non-Discrimination to Human RightsBody (11/1/2006) >ACLU Challenges Indefinite Detention in Southern California Facilities (10/9/2006) RESOURCES > Oralstatement by Jennifer Turner on behalf of the ACLU to the Human RightsCouncil 7th Session (3/7/2008) ACLUWORK WITH MIGRANTS >Briefing Materials Submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteuron the Human Rights of Migrants by the Detention and DeportationWorking Group >FAQs: United Nations Special Rapporteurs > Safe& Free: Seeking Truth and Accountability >Local Anti-Immigrant Ordinances >ACLU Challenges Prison-Like Conditions at Hutto Detention Center >Children Confined:Immigrant Detention at Hutto >About the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project OUTSIDELINKS >The Special Rapporteur's United Nations Homepage >National Network forImmigrant and Refugee Rights > U.S. Human RightsNetwork (USHRN) >Detention Watch Network > NationalImmigration Justice Center (NIJC)          >NIJC's Briefing Papers to the Special Rapporteur PRESS >U.N. report criticizes U.S. treatment of migrants (Los Angeles Times) >U.N. official urges U.S. to protect migrant rights (International Herald Tribune) >U.N. Official Says He's Been Denied Access to U.S. Immigrant Jails (The New YorkTimes) >U.N. official to meet former detainees after tour of Texas immigrationfacility canceled (InternationalHerald Tribune) >U.N. Official Denied Access To Taylor Detention Center (KXAN.com)

Tosubscribe to all ACLU podcasts, copy and paste this link into yourpodcast application or feed reader:
/podcast/feed