In March 2003, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security took over responsibility for asylum and immigration matters when the former INS was abolished. With this transfer, DHS was entrusted with the duty to ensure that the United States lives up to its commitments to those who seek asylum from persecution. These commitments stem from both U.S. law and international treaties with which the United States has pledged to abide. Yet, those who seek asylum - a form of protection extended to victims of political, religious and other forms of persecution - have been swept up in a wave of increased...
In March 2003, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security took over responsibility for asylum and immigration matters when the former INS was abolished....
Human Rights First Staff Ruthie Epstein Eleanor Acer
Two years ago, in announcements made in August and October of 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) committed to transform the U.S. immigration detention system by shifting it away from its longtime reliance on jails and jail-like facilities, to facilities with conditions more appropriate for the detention of civil immigration law detainees. In this report, Human Rights First reveals that despite these commitments, the United States continues to hold the overwhelming majority of detained asylum seekers and other civil immigration...
Two years ago, in announcements made in August and October of 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforce...
