Many of the rights we expect as citizens in our criminal courts do not extend to immigrants in detention centers who are navigating our civil immigration courts. There is no right to a speedy trial (because of the current backlog in immigration hearings individuals detained in detention centers may remain locked up for years), no right to a court-appointed lawyer and no regulations over detention center conditions. As Higuchi stated, many for-profit detention centers have a history of poor conditions. This includes facilities run by Management and Training Corporation (MTC), which is proposing to build a detention center in Evanston, Wyo.
Letter: Immigrant detention centers and the pursuit of justice and dignity
