Detention Conditions
Research shows that immigrants, including asylum seekers fleeing torture and long-time lawful permanent residents, are being unjustly detained in the U.S. Tens of thousands of people are locked up in a broken and cruel detention system, and are frequently denied the right to a hearing to determine if their detention is warranted. Many languish separated from their families, commingled with people serving criminal sentences, and are sometimes denied access to attorneys, family members and adequate medical care. A variety of resources specifically addressing the treatment of immigrants in the U.S. Detention system are available through the following links.
Department of Homeland Security: Management of Mental Health Cases in Immigration Detention
The DHS Office of Inspector General recently released a report on the management of mental health cases in immigration detention. The report details the structure and role of ICE's Health Service Corps in identifying and treating immigrants with mental health issues while in ICE custody, either through direct care or the arrangement of care outside of the detention facility. Despite the requirement that detained immigrants be provided with medical care and treatment, according to the March 2011 report, only 18 of the 250 detention facilities in the U.S. are staffed with Health Service Corps professionals. The report identifies this and other weaknesses in the system and makes recommendations on improving ICE's management of these cases, including improving relationships with healthcare providers outside of detention facilities.
This report was published by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General in March, 2011.
Year One Report Card: Human Rights and the Obama Administration's Immigration Detention Reform
On October 6, 2010 the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights, the National Immigrant Justice Center and Detention Watch Network released a report evaluating the Obama Administration's effort to reform the immigration detention system. The report, Year One Report Card: Human Rights & the Obama Administration's Immigration Detention Reforms, reveals a stunning lack of progress towards achieving the reforms proposed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) one year ago and highlights the persistent human rights violations occurring in U.S. immigration detention.
This report was co-authored by the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights, Detention Watch Network, and Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center and released in October of 2010.
Isolated in Detention: Limited Access to Counsel in Immigration Detention Facilities Jeopardizes a Fair Day in Court
A survey of U.S. immigration detention facilities by Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) shows that as the Obama administration detains more immigrants than ever before, many lack access to affordable legal services because they are held in remote locations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are unable to meet the staggering demand for legal assistance. The report, Isolated in Detention: Limited Access to Counsel in Immigration Detention Facilities Jeopardizes a Fair Day in Court (September, 2010), also finds that policies which restrict detainees from contacting lawyers by phone further isolate many of the estimated 32,000 women and men detained every night by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This report was released by Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center in September of 2010.
Detained and At Risk: Sexual Abuse and Harassment in United States Immigration Detention
This 24-page Human Rights Watch report released in August, 2010 describes documented incidents and allegations of abuse in U.S. immigrant detention. It also discusses recent proposals by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to address the issue. Human Rights Watch emphasized that the agency should make improvements swiftly to improve oversight of the entire detention system and the ensure accountability.
This report was published by Human Rights Watch in August of 2010.
Deportation by Default: Mental Disability, Unfair Hearings, and Indefinite Detention, in the US Immigration System
This 98-page report shows that immigrants with mental disabilities are often unjustifiably detained for years on end, sometimes with no legal limits. The report documents case after case in which people with mental disabilities were prevented from making claims against deportation - including claims of US citizenship - because they were unable to represent themselves. Some of the people interviewed for the report did not know their own names, were delusional, could not tell time, or did not know that deportation meant removal from the United States.
Published by Human Rights Watch in July of 2010.
Attorneys' Perspectives on the Violation of the Civil Rights of Immigrants Detained in Minnesota
For this study, researchers interviewed immigration attorneys who provide private, nonprofit, or pro bono immigration services, and public defenders who are appointed to represent indigent immigrants detained for criminal violations in order to obtain attorney reports of violations of the rights of detained immigrant clients.
This study was released by The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota and published in its Spring/Summer 2010 Reporter.
Locked Up Far Away; The Transfer of Immigrants to Remote Detention Centers in the United States
This 88-page report presents new data analyzed for Human Rights Watch by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) of Syracuse University. The data show that 53 percent of the 1.4 million transfers have taken place since 2006, and most occur between state and local jails that contract with the agency, known as ICE, to provide detention bed space. The report's findings are based on the new data and interviews with officials, immigration lawyers, detainees, and their family members.
This report was published by Human Rights Watch on December 2, 2009.
Detained and Dismissed: Women's Struggles to Obtain Health Care in the United States Immigration Detention
This 78-page Human Rights Watch report documents dozens of cases in which the immigration agency's medical staff either failed to respond at all to health problems of women in detention or responded only after considerable delays.
This Report was published by Human Rights Watch on March 17, 2009.
Jailed Withouth Justice: Immigration Detention in the USA
The new research outlined in the Amnesty International report, Jailed without Justice, shows that:
* Lawful permanent residents, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture are being detained while they fight for protection
* US citizens and lawful permanent residents can be detained for years without any review of their custody
* Meaningful oversight and accountability for abuse or neglect in detention is almost nonexistent
* Individuals in detention often lack treatment for their medical needs and 74 people have died while in immigration detention over the past five years
This report was published by Amnesty International, USA in 2009.
Detention Map
Over 32,000 immigrants are detained on any given day in the U.S. They are held in various detention facilities, county jails, and private for-profit prisons accross the country. To see if there are immigrants detained near you, take a look at this detention map. This map also includes information on specific detention centers, community organizations, Immigration & Customs Enforcement offices, and Immigration Courts.
Created by Detention Watch Network in 2008
Chronic Indifference: HIV/AIDS Services for Detained Immigrants
This 71-page report, “Chronic Indifference: HIV/AIDS Services for Immigrants Detained by the United States" documents the experiences of HIV-positive detainees in immigration custody whose HIV treatment was denied, delayed, or interrupted, resulting in serious risk and often damage to their health.
The investigation included interviews with current and former detainees, DHS and detention facility officials, and an independent medical review of treatment provided. Detention facilities which housed immigrants with HIV infection failed to consistently deliver anti-retroviral medications, conduct necessary laboratory tests, ensure continuity of care, and ensure confidentiality or protection from discrimination.
This report was published by Human Rights Watch in 2007
