Immigration Law

NEW YORK TIMES COMPARES ICE DETENTION CENTERS TO GULAGS

By Greg Siskind

The comparison is harsh, but in light of the Ng case and similar recent incidents, it is fair to say that entering an ICE detention facility could mean putting your life at risk.

The articles concluding words will hopefully get the attention of policymakers:

Immigration officials keep insisting that detention care is adequate and getting better. But it will take far more than promises of more audits to build confidence in a system that allows people to suffer so grievously.

Immigrant advocates have long complained about the lack of due process for people who run afoul of the country?s convoluted immigration laws. But access to decent medical care is an even starker problem.

While reasonable minds can differ on some aspects of the immigration debate, protecting the health of detainees is not one of them. Allowing sick people to suffer and die in custody without adequate treatment is unacceptable and violates the most fundamental standards of American law and decency. The system must be fixed.

Full post as published by Greg Siskind's Blog on August 17, 2008 (boomark / email).