Learn More About The Current U.S. Immigration Detention System
According to reports put out by the ACLU, in the last 15 years, the United States has witnessed a dramatic expansion in the jailing of immigrants, from about 70,000 people detained annually to about 400,000, including legal permanent residents, refugees, and undocumented persons .
In the mid-1990’s, during the height of an anti-immigrant backlash, Congress passed a series of measures that led to a vast increase in detention of people while their asylum or deportation cases move through the immigration courts, which can occur on site. Detainees can be held anywhere from a few weeks to a few years while their cases proceed. This trend of increasing detention has likely been exacerbated by the private prison industry and county jails, which are used due to both space constraints in detention centers and because it is a profitable venture. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website, for the Fiscal Year that began October 1, 2012 (FY 2013), DHS and the White House requested $1.959 billion for DHS Custody Operations, which amounts to approximately $5.4 million per day spent on immigration detention.
Check out these links for more information:
Immigration Policy Center
American Civil Liberties Union: Immigrant Rights
The Detention Watch Network
Amnesty USA: Refugee and Migrant Rights
Migration Policy Institute: U.S. Immigration
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Facility Locator
USA.gov: Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Department of Homeland Security: Fiscal Year 2013 Budget
National Immigration Forum: The Math of Immigration Detention
In the mid-1990’s, during the height of an anti-immigrant backlash, Congress passed a series of measures that led to a vast increase in detention of people while their asylum or deportation cases move through the immigration courts, which can occur on site. Detainees can be held anywhere from a few weeks to a few years while their cases proceed. This trend of increasing detention has likely been exacerbated by the private prison industry and county jails, which are used due to both space constraints in detention centers and because it is a profitable venture. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website, for the Fiscal Year that began October 1, 2012 (FY 2013), DHS and the White House requested $1.959 billion for DHS Custody Operations, which amounts to approximately $5.4 million per day spent on immigration detention.
Check out these links for more information:
Immigration Policy Center
American Civil Liberties Union: Immigrant Rights
The Detention Watch Network
Amnesty USA: Refugee and Migrant Rights
Migration Policy Institute: U.S. Immigration
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Facility Locator
USA.gov: Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Department of Homeland Security: Fiscal Year 2013 Budget
National Immigration Forum: The Math of Immigration Detention
