Posted on 06/24/2006 12:35:05 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK - The sweeping immigration bills in Congress would add many thousands of beds to the patchwork network of detention facilities that hold illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers — places that critics say are over-costly and under-regulated.
Already, activists say, far too many nonthreatening people are held for too long in demoralizing conditions.
"I'm not against homeland security," said Edward Neepaye, a pastor and human-rights campaigner from Liberia who was detained in New Jersey for four months. "But the greatest nation on earth must come up with a remedy that accords immigrants some respect, rather than throwing them in jail like animals."
On any given day, the system overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains about 21,000 people — most for a few weeks, some for years. Some, like Neepaye, are asylum seekers; others are illegal immigrants or foreigners who had U.S. residence cards but face deportation because of run-ins with the law.
More than 200,000 people are detained over the course of a year in any of three types of facilities — eight run by ICE itself, six run by for-profit companies that are eager for more business, and 312 county and municipal jails that have won lucrative federal contracts and hold about 57 percent of the detainees. Advocacy groups call it a hodgepodge system that is expensive and difficult to monitor.
"ICE hasn't done a good job with the facilities they directly manage, much less the ones they contract out," said Judith Greene, a New York-based prison expert. "Talking about doubling or tripling this system, without some kind of restructuring, is a recipe for a nightmare."
ICE defends its performance, saying it has reduced the average detention from 90 days to 20 days as it speeds deportation proceedings. Gary Mead, an assistant director of ICE's detention and deportation division, said the agency has 300 inspectors who examine each facility annually to ensure standards are upheld; at least two have lost contracts because of shortcomings.
In Congress, criticism of the detention system had little impact as both chambers proposed major expansions in their immigration bills. The Senate bill, though more moderate on some issues, proposed the biggest increase — 20 new facilities with 20,000 beds.
The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, says it needs 35,000 more detention beds to hold all the illegal immigrants awaiting deportation. As of Dec. 30, there were 544,000 such people who had absconded; ICE blamed the bed shortage for fueling "an unofficial mini-amnesty" for high-risk aliens.
Detainees, as non-citizens, have no automatic right to legal counsel. The majority, who are indigent and without local connections, depend on scarce pro bono assistance or do without, reducing their odds of winning appeals.
Many detention facilities — notably those in the Southwest — are geographically remote, with few pro bono attorneys nearby, and detainees often are transferred far from their home base. Other hurdles include inadequate law libraries in some facilities and steep telephone charges, lawyers said.
Janet Curley, as part of a church-based volunteer program, has been visiting detained asylum seekers in Elizabeth, N.J., for the past year, conversing by telephone through a window.
"It's a lifeline," she said "They know there's at least one person who cares about them."
The detainees, she said, "are essentially warehoused" — without opportunities to exercise outdoors or take English-language classes. At many detention centers, watching TV is the primary pastime.
Mead said some centers offer anger-management and drug-education classes, but a broader array of programs is considered impractical because turnover is so rapid. Even without programs, the average daily cost per detainee is about $90, ICE said — well above the cost for federal and state prison inmates.
Neepaye was detained at Elizabeth in 2003 after fleeing Liberia. He feared for his life after condemning human rights abuses in a war between rebels and warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor.
Despite some prominent American contacts, Neepaye said he was placed in handcuffs at Newark International Airport and interrogated for hours.
"It was a torturous experience — being treated like a common criminal," Neepaye said by telephone from Rogers, Minn., where he lives with his wife and four sons, busy as a pastor and businessman.
He recalled the tedium, the lack of privacy, the despair of other detainees who — unlike himself — had no one outside advocating for them and no idea how long they would be held.
At the request of some House Democrats, the General Accounting Office agreed this month to investigate alleged mistreatment of detainees and examine how ICE monitors their conditions. There have been numerous complaints of poor nutrition and medical care.
"We've had asylum seekers who endured horrendous conditions in their home countries, and they come here, past the Statue of Liberty, and get thrown in some hellish jail that mirrors the experience they just escaped," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif.
During the Senate's immigration debate, Sens. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., proposed an amendment to improve conditions for detained asylum-seekers. The measure died after Homeland Security officials said its provisions would be burdensome.
"Tens of thousands of non-criminal detainees are held in maximum security prisons and jails for months, often in the same cellblocks or cells with hardened criminals," said Lieberman, who urged ICE to make greater use of alternatives to detention.
Advocacy groups say only high-risk illegal immigrants should be confined, while most other detainees could be released, at huge savings, if ICE expanded pilot programs that have succeeded — through close supervision — in persuading people to show up in court.
"It's outrageous how many people are detained who don't need to be," said Judy Rabinowitz of the American Civil Liberties Union.
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On the Net:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov
It's always OUR fault. Go figure.
(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")
Mario Rodas (C), 19, speaks at a 'Keep Mario Home' rally held outside of Chelsea High School in Chelsea, Massachusetts June 14, 2006. Rodas, an undocumented worker who came to the United States from Guatemala with his family at the age of 12, was picked up in a U.S. immigration sweep and now faces deportation. Photo taken June 14, 2006. To match feature LIFE DEPORTATION REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi (UNITED STATES)
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez makes a point while speaking about immigration to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, which is holding its annual convention, in Dallas, Thursday, June 22, 2006. Gutierrez said that Americans can maintain a balance between enhancing border security and remaining a nation made up of immigrants. Emotions have encroached into the debate over how to reform immigration, keeping both sides from communicating effectively, Gutierrez said. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Invaders have special rights, bestowed on them unfortunately, yaknow, at least in some folks eyes anyway.
No one party or President is wholely responsible for this mess we're in, only the ones who chose to ignore what was happening for whatever reason, imo.
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I would ask folks to refrain from the use of words like
Nazi etc on this thread during an attempt at a civil discussion.. FR is above that, imo. We need to set an example to our gubamint if it is truly to be one with the people,, cursing and swearing and use of abusive language is not assisting us in moving toward that end, imo.
FRom the article.. you have a lot of parties interested in keeping them around and initiating legal processes..
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More than 200,000 people are detained over the course of a year in any of three types of facilities — eight run by ICE itself, six run by for-profit companies that are eager for more business, and 312 county and municipal jails that have won lucrative federal contracts and hold about 57 percent of the detainees. Advocacy groups call it a hodgepodge system that is expensive and difficult to monitor.
"ICE hasn't done a good job with the facilities they directly manage, much less the ones they contract out," said Judith Greene, a New York-based prison expert. "Talking about doubling or tripling this system, without some kind of restructuring, is a recipe for a nightmare."
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Thank ye much for the link and reminder.
New tagline.
Send 'em out to Sheriff Joe Arpio in Maricopa County, AZ along with enough dough to let Joe buy enough tents and pink underwear for them. Bet he could house a million or more for around a buck a piece per year which is about 11 months longer than it SHOULD take for them -- despite Tom Wolfe's line -- to WANT to go home again.
Given that projected turn-over rate, might take a year to get them all safely back home.
Sheriff Joe -- call your office.
My son told me about waiting forever behind one of our amigas and her large brood at the grocery check-out while the clerk struggled with entering her FOOD STAMP purchases into the system while she glared at him -- and he glared back. It was all he could do to contain himself as he thought about how hard HE worked to earn not only the funds to buy groceriers for himself, his wife and 2 year-old son BUT THE FUNDS THE IRS AND STATE CONFISCATED FROM HIM TO BUY HERS AS WELL!
When he got to the clerk, he asked if he could add HIS purchase to hers. The clerk rolled his eyes.
One way or another, THIS CRAP IS GONNA STOP!!!!
RE-ELECT NOBODY!!!!!!
Hey idiot...build a wall to keep the invaders out.
You are right! Stop looking for extenuating circumstances. Ignore the ACLU and other whining Liberals. Load em up, ship em out, Rawhide!
Thanks for looking.
Nightmare for who? The criminal illegal aliens? Awwwwwwwww.
If so, perhaps they will stop violating our border and immigration laws!
The reason we are the greatest nation on earth is b/c we are a nation of laws.
Now those immigrants who come here legally, and demonstrate they respect our laws, will be treated accordingly.
The reality of ones who cross our borders illegally show that firstly, they pay no state and federal taxes---ever. And using forged documents, several phony ID's and multiple SS #'s, they get welfare, food stamps, housing subsidies, reduced mortgages, free medical care, free education, reduced in-state tuition and out of state tuition for themselves and their mutiple kids.
Using multiple phony SS #'s, forged documents, and multiple IDs they collect several $4500-$5400 EICs from the IRS by declaring several names/jobs - just by going $1 over the income limit. And they collect for EINs, ITINs, Child Tax Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit (and didn't even pay taxes).
Using several phony identities, they can simultaneously pocket unemployment benefits, social security disability benefits for themselves and members of their large extended families, state and federal scholarships, free tuition, affirmative action preferences in education and employment, and got free coverage under state and/or federal health care plans.
All this including sending $38 billion per year out of the US economy back to Mexico---the second largest revenue producer for that country.
The contempt these predators have for Americans is just unbelievable--thinking we will sit still for the takeover of our government by predators who will use violence if necessary, to turn our gov't into a Third World banana republic.
The Sheriff Arpio approach solves a lot of these problems-- they will get to exercise outdoors and learn English on the job. It will cost a LOT less. These same "advocates" are mad as hell about a proposal by Senator Goldwater's nephew which would also give them meaningful work fixing fences and cleaning up the pollution. There just ain't no pleasing some of these people.
Home base? You mean Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico?
Simple solution. Get out!
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