VivirLatino

On Friday, the United Nations issued a report saying that the U.S. fails to protect the rights of immigrants, specifically citing the high rates of detention and the lack of access to legal counsel. In the international body’s first scrutiny of US treatment of its 37.5 million noncitizen migrants, UN investigator Jorge Bustamante on Friday took particular aim at what he criticized as the “overuse” of detention for immigrants.

Noting that the annual detainee population has tripled in nine years to 230,000, he called on the United States to eliminate mandatory detention for certain migrants and instead expand the use of alternatives, such as electronic ankle bracelets.
Bustamante also urged that migrants be given the right to legal counsel, more impartial hearings, and improved holding facilities, particularly for women and children.

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