Immigrant advocates recently filed a federal complaint accusing the Geo
Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the United States,
of preventing immigrant detainees from meeting with attorneys. The Geo
Group operates
Adelanto Detention Facility (ADF), an immigrant detention center in California, where advocates claim that
prison staff work together to retaliate against certain attorneys by denying
them access to their clients. The complaint went to the Office for Civil
Rights and Civil Liberties at the Department of Homeland Security. Since
immigration proceedings are classified as civil rather than criminal matters,
detainees do not have a Sixth Amendment right to counsel. According to
the American Immigration Council, just 14% of detained immigrants between
2007 and 2012 had the benefit of legal representation. The complaint claims
that the Geo Group has blocked access to detainees for some attorneys
and volunteers after they have publicly complained or criticized the private
detention center. This is not the first time that advocates have accused
the Geo Group of preventing attorneys from meeting with their detained
clients. In 2015, the ACLU and another immigrant advocate group issued
cease and desist letters to the Geo Group and Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) after they shut down visitation programs and denied
attorneys access to detainees. These problems also seem to have increased
with the dawn of the Trump Administration; immigration attorneys and families
of detainees alike have reported significantly longer wait times to see
detainees and visitation denials on a more frequent basis. As one advocate
noted, it will be more important than ever over the next few months that
immigrants have access to legal counsel, given the expected heightened
enforcement of immigration laws. As immigration cases are difficult and
complex, you are likely to be more successful if you enlist the help of
an experienced immigration lawyer. The Oakland deportation defense attorneys of
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C.
are here to help you get through these proceedings as quickly as possible,
particularly if you are currently detained and separated from your family.
Take the first step today toward your securing the future of your family
in the United States, and call our office at (510) 756-4468 to set up
a free evaluation with a member of our team so you can see how one of
our highly skilled California immigration lawyers can help you.
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