US Citizens detained by ICE
San Francisco Chronicle documents in an article and slide show, US Citizens detained by ICE.
Hector Veloz, mistaken for an illegal immigrant, was detained more than a year by ICE. Photo: Joshua Gates Weisberg / Special to the Chronicle
Hector Veloz, mistaken for an illegal immigrant, was detained more than a year by ICE. Photo: Joshua Gates Weisberg / Special to the Chronicle
Contact our office if your loved one in immigrant detention, or if you have been questioned by officers for potential detention.
Why you or your loved one needs a lawyer for detention
We aren't proposing that those who commit criminal acts get away unpunished, or that fraudulent acts go ignored. Those guilty of wrong-doing should be held accountable--but what about those who are completely innocent, and in some instances were present in the US through no wrongdoing of their own, or for that matter are even US Citizens being held for proposed deportation hearings? By law, immigration authorities have jurisdiction only over noncitizens. Citizens, whether native-born or naturalized, cannot be deported.
Huffington Post article discusses due process violations that are experienced by many detainees, a substantial percentage of who are innocent of any crime. [A]n Associated Press computer analysis of every person being held on a recent Sunday night shows that most did not have a criminal record and many were not about to leave the country _ voluntarily or via deportation. Most Immigrants In Detention Did Not Have Criminal Record, Reports AP
What would you do if you were mistaken for an illegal immigrant and then incarcerated for it? Does this situation even seem possible? Truth In Immigration has a video about a citizen who bounced a check, and ended up being in immigration deportation, with his East Coast accent being mistake for a foreign accent.
Detention facility information
Listing of the major facilities and field offices on this website. An incomplete listing of smaller detention facilities and sub-field offices is available in the information below.
Contact information for each detention facility Here.
A manual on immigration detention. Somewhat dated, but contains some good information. Covers Notice to Appear (NTA), Bond, Immigration Court proceedings, determining whether you are removable, forms of relief, appeals, and more.
Detention Watch Network (DWN) is a coalition that addresses immigration detention issues, including reform and racial profiling during enforcement.
Contact information for each detention facility Here.
A manual on immigration detention. Somewhat dated, but contains some good information. Covers Notice to Appear (NTA), Bond, Immigration Court proceedings, determining whether you are removable, forms of relief, appeals, and more.
Detention Watch Network (DWN) is a coalition that addresses immigration detention issues, including reform and racial profiling during enforcement.
Will immigration detention system reforms be forthcoming?
The Obama administration has vowed to overhaul immigration detention. ICE oversees itself, and many see this as a cause of flaws in the system. A New York Times article discusses claims that official used their role as overseers to cover up evidence of mistreatment, deflect scrutiny by the news media or prepare exculpatory public statements after gathering facts that pointed to substandard care or abuse.
The Constitution Project has published Recommendations for Reforming our Immigration Detention System and Promoting Access to Counsel in Immigration Proceedings.
ICE responds by announcing reforms on their website.
Department of Homeland Security issues press release on reform, dated October 6, 2009.
The Constitution Project has published Recommendations for Reforming our Immigration Detention System and Promoting Access to Counsel in Immigration Proceedings.
ICE responds by announcing reforms on their website.
Department of Homeland Security issues press release on reform, dated October 6, 2009.
Shocking testimonial in the comments section of this article from the LA Progressive.
Here are some excerpts:
Until you go to one of these detention centers and see with your own eyes, you will not believe what America is doing. I was shocked, on my first visit and after almost 6 months of seeing what happens and how they have to live, I am still in shock. It is all about the money. My friend has never cost America anything until they locked him up. He is in a private prison owned by a company called GEO based near Miami, Florida........
Until you go to one of these detention centers and see with your own eyes, you will not believe what America is doing. I was shocked, on my first visit and after almost 6 months of seeing what happens and how they have to live, I am still in shock. It is all about the money. My friend has never cost America anything until they locked him up. He is in a private prison owned by a company called GEO based near Miami, Florida........
America's Secret ICE Castles
The Nation article on everyone's tongues, as it appeared in the January 4, 2010 edition of The Nation. The challenge of being unable to find people in detention centers, documented in the Human Rights Watch report, is worsened when one does not even know where to look. The absence of a real-time database tracking people in ICE custody means ICE has created a network of secret jails.
An article by the same journalist claims that "Under the Obama administration, ICE is moving away from workplace raids, popular among anti-immigrant activists, and relying more heavily on targeted stealth operations."
Democracy Now discusses the issue.
Human Rights watch has linked to an 88 page report, in their articleUS: Remote Detainee Lockups Hinder Justice.
Amnesty International published a 2009 56 page report on Immigration detention, Jailed Without Justice. US citizens and lawful permanent residents have been incorrectly subject to mandatory detention, and have spent months or years behind bars before being able to prove they are not deportable from the United States.
An article by the same journalist claims that "Under the Obama administration, ICE is moving away from workplace raids, popular among anti-immigrant activists, and relying more heavily on targeted stealth operations."
Democracy Now discusses the issue.
Human Rights watch has linked to an 88 page report, in their articleUS: Remote Detainee Lockups Hinder Justice.
Amnesty International published a 2009 56 page report on Immigration detention, Jailed Without Justice. US citizens and lawful permanent residents have been incorrectly subject to mandatory detention, and have spent months or years behind bars before being able to prove they are not deportable from the United States.
ICE Field Offices and sub-field stations
The PDF can be accessed directly at this link