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Detainees denied rights
EDITORIAL
El Diario/Le Prensa
January 26, 2007
In an immigration system riddled with problems, the treatment of detainees is among the most severe, and
contradictory to our principles of human and civil rights.
Yesterday, advocacy organizations filed a petition with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that
pushes for regulating detention facilities. The petition is on the heels of a federal audit exposing deplorable
conditions for detainees.
The audit of five facilities, including two in Hudson and Passaic Counties, substantiated many of the repeated
complaints of detainees held by the bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Violations of ICE
detention standards include missing documentation from files, disciplinary segregation for detainees ultimately
found not to have committed any wrongdoing, and the lack of grievance tracking or processing. Facilities were
also found to have vermin infestation and unsanitary food preparation.
According to the audit, both Jersey facilities did not issue handbooks on the rights of detainees and no Spanish
version of a handbook has been published at the Passaic facility since 2003.
ICE standards, as the audit states, do not provide a formal process for detainees to report complaints. As a
result, organizations like the National Immigration Project and Catholic Legal Immigration Network, are calling for
DHS to implement binding rules that would be enforced and create more transparency in detention operations.
As Congress hems and haws over immigration reform, federal regulations backed with enforcement need to
be applied to immigration facilities. A handbook of standards is not enough. Nor is lip service on the benefits of
a democracy.
EDITORIAL
El Diario/Le Prensa
January 26, 2007
In an immigration system riddled with problems, the treatment of detainees is among the most severe, and
contradictory to our principles of human and civil rights.
Yesterday, advocacy organizations filed a petition with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that
pushes for regulating detention facilities. The petition is on the heels of a federal audit exposing deplorable
conditions for detainees.
The audit of five facilities, including two in Hudson and Passaic Counties, substantiated many of the repeated
complaints of detainees held by the bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Violations of ICE
detention standards include missing documentation from files, disciplinary segregation for detainees ultimately
found not to have committed any wrongdoing, and the lack of grievance tracking or processing. Facilities were
also found to have vermin infestation and unsanitary food preparation.
According to the audit, both Jersey facilities did not issue handbooks on the rights of detainees and no Spanish
version of a handbook has been published at the Passaic facility since 2003.
ICE standards, as the audit states, do not provide a formal process for detainees to report complaints. As a
result, organizations like the National Immigration Project and Catholic Legal Immigration Network, are calling for
DHS to implement binding rules that would be enforced and create more transparency in detention operations.
As Congress hems and haws over immigration reform, federal regulations backed with enforcement need to
be applied to immigration facilities. A handbook of standards is not enough. Nor is lip service on the benefits of
a democracy.
415 Michigan Ave., NE
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media inquiries:
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(202) 635-5810
Suite 150
Washington, DC 20017
202.635.2556
202.635.2649 fax
media inquiries:
e-mail me
(202) 635-5810
media inquiries: Melissa Williams
Media Relations Coordinator
(202) 635-5810
Media Relations Coordinator
(202) 635-5810
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