Considering how many immigrants are being arrested and detained around the world right now — and the fact that many of them have been unlawfully detained — it’s frightening to think how little oversight there is over the facilities where detained immigrants are housed. In some parts of the world, there is absolutely no oversight of the living conditions in these centers.
Due to the lack of oversight, it’s not unheard of for human rights violations to happen at an immigration center. This can result in devastating psychological and physical problems for the immigrants who are detained. Especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment are women and children. Because of these dangers, some people who find themselves detained at an immigration center — even for a short period of time — may suffer from life-long mental health complications.
Because the United States is currently ramping up immigration law enforcement and arresting more and more undocumented immigrants, as a society, we should begin to focus our attention on making the conditions at U.S. immigration detention centers the best in the world.
As for individuals who have been arrested by immigration police — and family members of those who have been arrested — it’s important to fight for you or your family members’ rights. With the assistance of an experienced immigration law attorney, those who are arrested unlawfully in California may be able to advocate for their release. As for arrested immigrants who could be deported, legal strategies may be helpful to keep these individuals in the country and avoid deportation in some cases.