Immigration Detention Centers Often Subject to Different Quality Standards

While much of the media attention focuses on Trump’s fixation on building a wall, his administration is quietly taking other steps to implement his immigration plan. One of those steps is to vastly increase the number of immigration detention facilities and expand existing facilities. If Trump has his way, then every immigrant who is facing deportation proceedings will remain detained until their cases are resolved. Given the concerns of immigration advocates and relatives of the detained individuals about the current conditions in those facilities, it is hard to imagine that conditions will improve as these facilities grow. In fact, former secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly told a House committee earlier this year that standards for immigration detention centers might have to be lowered in order to get contracts with more local jails to house immigrant detainees. Kelly hastily added that standards would not be lowered enough to violate anyone’s human rights. Information on these standards, and how well facilities meet those standards, is hard to come by. Any information that is made public is inconsistent, outdated, and unclear, at best. Experts warn, however, that regulations for immigrant detention centers are subject to any number of loopholes and exceptions, which result in some of the unacceptable conditions in these facilities. Currently, the average daily population of immigrant detention centers is about 38,600. Individuals are housed at 201 adult detention facilities and 213 other facilities, such as family centers, hospitals, and facilities run by the Bureau of Prisons. Although previous administrations did not focus on detaining all immigrants until their deportation, the Trump administration is focused on doing just that. According to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the goal of the administration is to eliminate the catch-and-release process of the past, in which an immigrant was briefly detained and released pending a court date at some point in the future. Part of this strategy also centers on hiring substantially more immigration judges to handle the enormous backlog of cases. Individuals who are detained and/or facing deportation need an experienced California immigration attorney who can assist them with this often complex process. At Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., we know how to stand up for the rights of those who are legally entitled to remain in the U.S. Call us today at (510) 756-4468 and schedule an appointment with one of our deportation defense lawyers, and learn how we can assist you.