I.C.E. Sued Over Allegations of Denying Migrants Legal Counsel
A group of legal organizations has sued the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies alleging asylum-seekers at four detention facilities have been denied access to legal representation.
The lawsuit was filed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by the American Civil Liberties Union; the American Immigration Council; Americans for Immigrant Justice; Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project; Immigration Justice Campaign; Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), against DHS, ICE, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson.
The complaint alleges that the Laredo Processing Center in Laredo, Texas; the Florence Correctional Center in Phoenix, Arizona; the River Correctional Center in New Orleans; and the Krome Detention Center near Miami have insufficient private attorney visitation rooms, difficult scheduling requirements for legal calls, and severe restrictions on arranging interpretation services.
