“The Justice Department letter specifically criticized the treatment of inmates who speak limited English — often the case with ICE detainees — saying there are few bilingual staffers at the jail. None of the staff at the Templeman V building, where ICE detainees were housed, spoke another language. The jail also fails to translate important documents into Spanish, including forms requesting medical attention and grievance forms, the Justice Department noted”
“The Department of Justice has refused to issue regulations that would allow immigration judges to decide whether to detain asylum seekers who are determined to have viable cases and pose no threat to society.”
“Authors procured the previously unreleased documents, which included emails, memos, and data, through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. According to the report, the documents revealed evidence that agents involved with the program routinely provided inaccurate and misleading information to detainees in deportation proceedings to coerce them into signing “stipulated orders of removal.” Such an order waives a noncitizen’s right to a day in court in exchange for speedy deportation.”
“In recent years, the United States has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of noncitizens held in immigration detention. This rapidly increasing population has drawn attention to the poor conditions of the nation’s immigration detention facilities and the barriers immigrant detainees face in seeking representation of counsel in removal proceedings. These problems raise a variety of constitutional and policy concerns.”
“There is an evolving crisis in the immigration courts and federal courts of
appeals caused by the lack of quality representation for immigrants facing
deportation.”
