Detention system often sends immigrants far away from family, friends, and legal help
By Deepti Hajela, APSaturday, June 19, 2010
Immigrant detainees moved miles from home and help
NEW YORK — It’s been over a year since Joey Wong left Long Island. Since then, he’s been in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Louisiana and now likely heading back to New Mexico.
The 32-year-old immigrant is fighting deportation. Like thousands of other immigrants, he’s bounced through immigration detention facilities across the country to wherever U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can find space even if that’s far away from family and their lawyers.
Immigrant advocates say the common practice often maroons immigrants in remote outposts and unfairly disadvantages them in their fight to avoid deportation.
ICE, acknowledging the complaints, has said it plans to reduce transfers under new policies but not how soon those policies might be implemented.
