Washington, DC – In light of the alarmingly high number of cases in which U.S.
citizens, immigrants and other vulnerable individuals are mistakenly
and unlawfully detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
and in which detainees are exposed to inhumane conditions, U.S.
Senators Menendez (D-NJ), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today unveiled
a package of legislation to reform our country’s detention system.
This legislation comes in the wake of the issue of a report by the
Cardozo School of Law which found a pattern of ICE agents
deliberately breaking their way into private homes in direct violation
of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and a significantly higher
disproportion of Latino residents are arrested without an articulated
reason.
The two-bill proposal include: the Protect Citizens from Unlawful Detention Act , which would establish minimum standards of procedure and treatment
for U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and immigrants who are
impacted by immigration enforcement and detention operations. It also
includes the Strong STANDARDS Act, which sets minimum detention
standards and requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure
that laws concerning the treatment of detainees are properly enforced.
The Protect Citizens from Unlawful Detention is also co-sponsored by Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA).
“No
American citizen ever deserves to be thrown into detention and have
their freedom taken away for no reason, but this sort of thing is
happening far too often,” said Senator Menendez. “People
who were born right here in the United States of America have been
taken into custody without knowing why, and in some cases, kicked out
of the land they call home to countries completely foreign to them. At
the same time, people who are thrown into detention are being refused
basic medical treatment for conditions that can become deadly. These
are fellow human beings who haven’t committed any sort of violent
crime, yet they are being treated as subhuman, even in the United
States of America. Let’s make it clear – a detention should never
amount to a death sentence. These legislative initiatives will help
reinforce what our great country has always stood for: liberty, the
rule of law and basic human rights.”
“All New Yorkers deserve the protections that our rule of law provides,” Senator Gillibrand said. “This legislation will correct the injustices in our system, making
sure that U.S. citizens and legal residents are not wrongfully detained
and protecting those fleeing torture. As I travel across New York, I
have met families that have experienced horrible injustices and farmers
that see their communities under threat. This bill begins to address
these systemic challenges, providing access to counsel, the right to
proper Miranda warnings, and appropriate protections for pregnant
women, nursing mothers, and New Yorkers with serious health conditions.
“
Among
others, American Civil Liberties Union, American Immigration Lawyers
Association, Amnesty International, Asian American Justice Center, the
Episcopal Church, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Human
Rights First, Human Rights Watch, National Council of La Raza, National
Immigration Forum, Rights Working Group and the Women’s Refugee
Commission have endorsed these pieces of legislation.
Bill summaries
Protect Citizens and Residents from Unlawful Detention Act
Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Gillibrand (D-NY)
Inadequate
due process protections in our current law and a failure by the federal
government to guarantee protections have led to a crisis where U.S.
citizens and other vulnerable individuals who should not be in ICE
custody have been mistakenly detained. Mistaken identities,
bureaucratic mix-ups, and discriminatory attitudes have contributed to
unconstitutional actions against US citizens, lawful permanent
residents, and others with legal immigration status. US citizens should
not be mistakenly or unlawfully detained, deported, or mistreated by
government agents and no one should be subject to government actions
that overstep basic constitutional rights.
This
bill would establish minimum standards of treatment for U.S. citizens,
lawful permanent residents and immigrants who are impacted by
immigration enforcement operations.
Protections Against Unlawful Detention of United States Citizens: The proposal would ensure detainees are advised of basic legal rights
and legal resources including the availability of free legal services
from non-profit service providers and the right to access counsel at no
cost to the government. The Department of Homeland Security would be
required to provide a notice of charges and other information about the
enforcement action upon detaining an individual. The bill requires
appropriate access to telephones to call counsel. It restricts the
transfer of detainees to facilities far away from the point of arrest
if the transfer would impact the attorney-client relationship, among
other provisions. Department officials would be trained regarding due
process protections available under current law.
Basic Protections for Vulnerable Populations: The bill would establish procedures for U.S. citizens and vulnerable
populations encountered during immigration enforcement actions to be
considered for release. An initial decision on whether to detain an
individual would be made by DHS within 72 hours of the noncitizen’s
detention and an Immigration Judge could review the detention. In
deciding whether to detain the individual, DHS and the Immigration
Judge would consider whether the person poses a flight risk or risk to
public safety or national security; and whether he/she is likely to
appear for immigration proceedings.
Government Accountability: The bill would require reporting on current enforcement practices and
the harmful impact on U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and
immigrant communities. The bill also creates an ICE Ombudsman to
investigate complaints, assist constituents in resolving complaints and
recommend personnel actions to DHS.
Strong Safe Treatment, Avoiding Needless Deaths, and Abuse Reduction in the Detention System (STANDARDS) Act
Senator Robert Menendez and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
The
bill provides minimum requirements that the Secretary of Homeland
Security must meet to ensure that all persons detained are treated
humanely and the security of the facility is guaranteed. The Department
of Homeland Security has performance-based detention standards that
require DHS officers to meet requirements for humane treatment however
the detention standards have not been consistently enforced. Over 80
detainees have died in custody in recent years and myriad reports by
government agencies and non-governmental organizations have found
widespread abuse within detention facilities. This bill codifies the
most critically important detention standards and requires the
Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that laws relating to the
treatment of immigration detainees are enforced. The bill includes the
following minimum requirements:
- Given
that detainees are not permitted to access outside medical care, the
bill would ensure detainees receive adequate medical and mental health,
and dental care, including comprehensive intake screenings - Provides an administrative process for handling appeals of denials of medical treatment
- Restricts
transfers of detainees to another facility if such transfer would
impair an attorney-client relationship, prejudice the detainee’s legal
case, or negatively impact the detainee’s health - Ensure detainees have adequate access to telephones
- Prevent physical and sexual abuse of detainees
- Limit
the use of solitary confinement and strip searches to situations where
it is necessary for security and eliminates the use of these techniques
on children - Require detention facilities to be acquired in locations where free or low-cost legal representation is available
- Provide adequate translation services to ensure the safety and security of the facility
- Provide detainees with access legal information, including an on-site law library
- Allow legal, family and religious visitors in detention facilities
- Ensure detainees get an hour of recreation per day
- Require that all personnel in detention facilities and short-term detention facilities receive comprehensive training
- Ensure the safe transport and deportation of each individual detained
- Require
that detainees in short term facilities receive water, food,
toiletries, access to bathrooms, and ensures protections for children
in short-term detention - Require that detention facilities accommodate the unique needs of vulnerable populations and children.
To
ensure these provisions are enforced, the bill requires the
promulgation of regulations that would ensure compliance with above
requirements; creates a Detention Commission comprised of government
officials and independent experts responsible for investigations of
detention facilities and reporting to Congress; and requires immediate
reporting of the death of any individual in DHS custody or en route to
or from DHS custody.