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Civil Rights

Last Updated: | Publication

Recommendations Memo to CBP Concerning Treatment of Children with Disabilities

This memorandum provides policy recommendations to protect the well-being of children with disabilities and promote the family unity of families including children with disabilities “to the greatest extent operationally feasible” while in (CBP custody. Accordingly, this memorandum provides policy recommendations with an aim to reinforce existing CBP policy as stated in CBP’s National Standards on Transportation, Escort, Detention, and Search (TEDS) (October 2015) to maintain family unity to the greatest extent operationally feasible.

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Retention Memo for Onsite Investigation at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas

CRCL received complaints alleging that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has violated individuals’ civil rights and civil liberties at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. The allegations raised and reviewed involved medical care, food, and disability access. 

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DHS Statement on Safety and Immigration Enforcement During Emergency Events

An archive of statements about the Department’s immigration enforcement posture during certain emergency events, including natural disasters.

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Expert Recommendations Memo for Onsite Investigation at Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico

CRCL conducted an investigation into conditions of detention for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement LGBTQ detainees at the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico. The investigation focused on allegations received from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, and the Santa Fe Dreamers Project.

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Expert Recommendations Memo to ICE Concerning ICE Health Services Corps Medical/Mental Health Care and Oversight

CRCL conducted an investigation in response to information received from the DHS Office of Inspector General alleging that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Health Service Corps had systematically provided inadequate medical and mental health care, and oversight of that care, to immigration detainees in facilities throughout the United States.

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Expert Recommendation Memo to ICE Concerning Wakulla County Jail in Crawfordville, Florida

CRCL conducted an investigation into conditions of detention for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the Wakulla County Jail in Crawfordville, Florida.

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Retention Memo to ICE for CRCL Investigation Concerning Medical Isolation and Quarantines in ICE Immigration Detention Facilities

CRCL received allegations concerning the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) medical isolation and quarantine processes throughout many of the immigration detention facilities used by ICE. With the increased concern about the rapid spread of infectious diseases, particularly in congregant settings such as detention facilities, CRCL is reviewing how ICE manages its medical isolation and quarantine processes and how ICE addresses medical and mental healthcare, law library access, access to legal services, and visitation for detainees who are medically isolated or quarantined.

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Retention Memo to CBP for CRCL Investigation Concerning Invalidating F1 Visas of Iranian Nationals

CRCL opened complaints alleging that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) violated civil rights or civil liberties by invalidating F1 student visas belonging to applicants from Iran, applying a five-year bar to admission to the applicants, and removing an applicant from the United States in violation of a court order, among other allegations. 

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Retention Memo to ICE for CRCL Investigation on ICE's Oversight Concerning the Use of Segregation

CRCL assessed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's segregation oversight program and provide policy recommendations, if warranted, to help the Department ensure that its segregation oversight is complete, in accordance with requirements, and fulfilling the stated goal that, placement in segregation should occur only when necessary and in compliance with applicable detention standards. In particular, placement in administrative segregation due to a special vulnerability should be used only as a last resort and when no other viable housing options exist."

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Retention Memo to CBP for CRCL Investigation Concerning Age Determination and Birth Certificate Verification Procedures

From 2015-2020, CRCL received more than 100 allegations that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) violated the civil rights and civil liberties of unaccompanied minors when determining their ages or verifying the authenticity of their birth certificates. These allegations arose from reported incidents at both U.S. Border Patrol stations and ports of entry. These included similar allegations, such as CBP discarding and destroying birth certificates, pressuring and coercing unaccompanied minors into incorrectly claiming they are adults, and falsifying records of their ages. From these numerous allegations, CRCL chose a sample of 18 that represented the various types of allegations received by CRCL and opened them as complaint investigations.