Legal News

ACLU sues Immigration over "barbaric" conditions at B-18

By Richard Binder

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed a lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement late Wednesday over conditions at a holding facility for immigrant detainees.

The suit alleges that up to 200 detainees are at times crammed into a series of temporary holding rooms in a basement below a downtown federal building, with as many as 60 immigrants placed in each room.  The ACLU further claims that detainees are denied access to attorneys and courts and are rarely provided drinking water or a change of clothing. 

The ACLU's findings come after extensive interviews with dozens of immigrants. Attorneys at the organization said they had not seen first hand any of the conditions described in the lawsuit.

A statement released by ICE would not comment on the pending case, but says Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has called for a comprehensive review of the nation's immigration detention practices.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on April 02, 2009 (boomark / email).