OAS InterAmerican Commision on Human Rights- Report on Immigration in the US

REPORT ON IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES:

DETENTION AND DUE PROCESS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
pdf

I.         INTRODUCTION

 

II.        DRAFT REPORT AND RESPONSE OF THE UNITED STATES

 

III.      RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF IMMIGRANTS

         
A.       Right to personal liberty

                   1.       Asylum seekers

                   2.       Migrant families and unaccompanied children

B.       Right to due process and access to justice

                   1.       Right to judicial protection and to a habeas corpus petition

                   2.       Right to seek asylum

C.       The right to humane treatment during detention

                   1.       Right to medical care

                   2.       Right to be separated from criminal inmates

                   3.       Right to be notified of transfer to other detention establishments

                   4.       Right to have a duly trained and qualified personnel and independent supervision at the place of detention

                   5.       Right to an established disciplinary policy and to due process

                   6.       The right to an effective procedure for petition and response

                   7.       Obligation to investigate deaths that occur during detention

                   8.       Specific rights of asylum seekers in detention

                   9.       Adherence to UN Principles for the detention of unaccompanied children

D.       Other relevant human rights

                   1.       The principle of equality and nondiscrimination

                   2.       Rights to family life, to privacy and the inviolability of the home

 
IV.       THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION'S OBSERVATIONS AND CONCERNS
            REGARDING IMMIGRATION DETENTION, DETENTION CONDITIONS AND
            THE EFFECT ON DUE PROCESS

          A.       Detentions and immigration enforcement in the United States

                   1.       General issues

                   2.       Noncitizens detained at the border, port of entry or nearby

                             a.       Expedited removal

                             b.       Arriving aliens

                             c.       The new guidelines on parole for arriving noncitizens
                                       seeking asylum

                   3.       Noncitizens in the U.S. interior

                             a.       Enforcement of Federal Law by Federal Immigration Officers

                                      i.        Worksite Enforcement Unit

                                      ii.       Fugitive Operations Teams

                             b.       Immigration enforcement at the state and local levels

                                      i.        Immigration detention of nonciticizens
                                               convicted of crimes or arrested on criminal
                                               charges (The Criminal Alien Program and
                                               Secure Communities Program)

                                      ii.       Delegation of Civil Immigration Enforcement
                                               to State and Local Law Enforcement (State
                                               and local partnerships for enforcing civil
                                               immigration laws under 287(g) agreements)

                   4.       Bond

                   5.       Indefinite detention of noncitizens who cannot be deported

          B.       Conditions of immigrant detention

                   1.       The absence of a civil detention system

                   2.       ICE mechanisms of supervision and accountability with
                             regard to detention conditions

                   3.       Medical care of immigration detainees

                   4.       Mental health care of detained immigrants

                   5.       Food services

                   6.       Living conditions

                   7.       Telephone access

                   8.       Outdoor recreation

                   9.       Attorney-client meetings and family visits

                   10.     Access to legal resources

                   11.     Discipline

                   12.     Grievance procedures

                   13.     Some reforms recently introduced or proposed for the
                             future to the detention conditions of immigrant detainees

          C.       Detention of families and children

                   1.       Immigrant families

                   2.       Unaccompanied children

          D.       Impact of detentions on immigrants´ due process

                   1.       Lack of access to legal representation during detention

                   2.       Prevalence of stipulated orders of removal

                   3.       ICE delays in filing notices to appear

                   4.       Pervasive use of transfers between detention facilities

                   5.       Concerns with the use of video conferencing for credible fear interviews
and merits hearings

                   6.       Due process for vulnerable groups

                             a.       Unaccompanied children

                             b.       Immigrant detainees with mental disabilities

 
V.        FINAL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

         

          A.       Interior Enforcement Recommendations

                   1.       Federal Enforcement Programs

                   2.       State and Local Partnership Enforcement Programs

          B.       Detention recommendations

                   1.       Mandatory detention of arriving aliens and deportable
                             immigrants with criminal convictions

                   2.       Custody determinations and alternatives to detention

                   3.       Civil detention system

          C.       Civil detention conditions

                   1.       Medical and mental health care

          D.       Due process recommendations

          E.       Recommendations on families and unaccompanied children 

 
Submission of the Government of the United States to the IACHR with respect to the Draft Report on Immigration in the United States: Detention and Due Process