Illegal Immigrants Held in Isolated Jails Struggle for Legal Help, Survey Finds

THE MAJORITY ARE IN FACILITIES BEYOND THE REACH OF LEGAL AID GROUPS, RESULTING IN CASELOADS OF 100 DETAINEES PER ATTORNEY, A RIGHTS GROUP REPORTS. AN ADDITIONAL 10% HAVE NO ACCESS TO ANY LEGAL AID.

Los Angeles Times: Even as the Obama administration seeks to create a more humane system of detention for illegal immigrants, most continue to be held in rural jails without ready access to legal representation, a human rights group says in a report to be released today. In a survey of immigration detention facilities nationwide, the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center found that more than half did not offer detainees information about their rights, and 78% prohibited private phone calls with lawyers. More than 80% of detainees were in facilities that were isolated and beyond the reach of legal aid organizations, resulting in heavy caseloads of 100 detainees per immigration attorney, the survey found. Ten percent of detainees were held in facilities in which they had no access at all to legal aid groups.