|
 The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said it found evidence that
the federal government "was interfering with the
constitutional rights afforded to detained immigrants," including
their access to legal representation.
The commission, created in 1957, describes itself as an independent,
bipartisan federal agency that helps develop civil rights policy and
enhance enforcement of civil rights laws.
A year ago, President Barack Obama responded to a "humanitarian
crisis" unfolding on the U.S. southwestern border with Mexico, as
tens of thousands of children - some traveling with parents and
others alone - arrived from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Among steps he took were a rapid expansion of detention facilities
for migrant women and children. It marked a departure from previous
practices of largely tracking the immigrants with electronic ankle
bracelets and telephone check-ins, which immigration rights groups
argued were effective and far less costly.
The arrivals of undocumented children, many claiming they were
fleeing drug-related violence, have slowed compared with last year.
But a steady stream remains, placing huge demands on Department of
Homeland Security border enforcement and immigration courts.
Some Republican presidential candidates have called for erecting a
border wall and deporting all 12 million undocumented residents,
including children, now thought to be in the United States.
According to the lengthy report from the U.S. Commission on Civil
Rights, some of the detention facilities "have failed to comply with
DHS standards for medical care, including ignoring serious medical
conditions."
The commission said it had received reports that children were
abused while in custody of federal agents and that families suffered
poor conditions while held at Customs and Border Protection
stations.
[to top of second column] |
The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing the report,
spokeswoman Marsha Catron said.
"Recognizing the sensitive and unique nature of detaining families,
we have made significant changes to the family residential
facilities," Catron added.
"Of note, we are transitioning these facilities into short-term
processing centers where individuals who claim fear of return to
their countries can be interviewed for asylum and other humanitarian
protections."
From Oct. 1, 2014, to July 31, 2015, 30,862 unaccompanied children
and 29,407 families were apprehended at the southwestern border.
Those numbers were down by 51 percent and 53 percent, respectively,
from the same period the previous year, government statistics
showed.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Leslie
Adler)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
