Trump administration crackdown, sending 1,600 immigrants to federal prisons

WASHINGTON: United States (US) authorities are transferring into federal prisons about 1,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees in the first large-scale use of federal prisons to hold detainees amid a Trump administration crackdown on people entering the country illegally.

An ICE spokeswoman said that five federal prisons would temporarily take in detainees awaiting civil immigration court hearings, including potential asylum seekers, with one prison in Victorville, California, preparing to house 1,000 people.

US President Donald Trump made his hard-line stance on immigration an integral part of his presidency and promised to build a wall along the US-Mexican border to stem the flow of migrants.

He also promised to keep immigrants targeted for deportation locked up “pending the outcome of their removal proceedings”.

Under former president Barack Obama, many immigrants without serious criminal records were allowed to await their court dates while living in the US.

Others were housed in immigration detention facilities or local jails.

The new policy drew criticism from immigration advocates and former officials.

ICE former assistant director Kevin Landy, responsible for the Office of Detention Policy and Planning under the Obama administration, said the move to house so many detainees at once in federal prisons was “highly unusual” and raised oversight concerns.

“A large percent of ICE detainees have no criminal record and are more vulnerable in a prison setting – security staff and administrators at BOP facilities have spent their careers dealing with hardened criminals serving long sentences for serious felonies, and the procedures and staff training reflect that,” he also said.

ICE Spokeswoman Dani Bennett said that ICE was “working to meet the demand for additional immigration detention space” due to a surge in illegal border crossings and a US Department of Justice zero-tolerance policy.

“To meet this need, ICE is collaborating with the US Marshals Service (USMS), the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), private detention facility operators and local government agencies,” she added.

Comments

Curfew imposed in wana after ‘Taliban’ attack PTM,s Leaders

10 PTM activists, including Wazir’s cousin, injured in the attack PakistanToday : At least 10 people were injured and two suspected Taliban militants were killed in an attack on activists of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), including Ali Wazir and his cousin, in Wana, leading to curfew being imposed in the area. The injured were shifted to Agency Headquarter Hospital Wana for medical treatment where they were declared to be out of danger. According to reports, differences between the two parties developed on Saturday when pro-government militant leader Ain Ullah Wazir forcefully snatched caps from PTM activists and set them on fire. Following the incident, Ali Wazir had condemned the act and called for a sit-in protest from Monday. The militants retaliated and attacked the Mirzalam Khan Wazir Market and the nearby petrol pump, owned by Ali Wazir. However, before the attack, they went to Ali Wazir’s home, armed with guns, and asked him to leave the area of quit PTM....

Russia's says Syria chemical weapons attack was free Plane

Monitor Desk: The U.S. has blood and urine samples from the area the U.S. has blood and urine samples from the area that have tested positive for chemical weapons, according to two American officials.at have tested positive for chemical weapons, according to two American officials. Russia said Friday it had “irrefutable” evidence that the deadly Syria chemical weapons attack that has prompted the U.S. to consider airstrikes was fabricated. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference that there was a “very alarming atmosphere” over the issue and likened plans for a military response to failed action in Libya. “God forbid any other military gambles will be taken in Syria,” he said. Related Lavrov cited "irrefutable data that [this] was yet another staged event and staging was done … by the special services of one of the countries at the forefront of the anti-Russia campaign." His comments come after President Donald Trump called last Saturday’s attack...

China finds no radiation issues after North Korea bomb test

A North Korean state handout shows Kim Jong-un in a test facility China has concluded that radiation levels remain normal in the provinces near the North Korean border after the reclusive state conducted a powerful nuclear test last week, sparking concerns of residual environmental damage. China's Ministry of Environmental Protection announced last night it was ending its emergency radiation monitoring in response to the blast last week, which North Korea claimed was the successful detonation of a hydrogen bomb. "A comprehensive assessment has concluded that this DPRK nuclear test has caused no environmental impact on China," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website, using the initials of the North's official name. "After eight days of continuous monitoring, no abnormal results were shown." More than 1,000 aerosol, air, iodine, water and sediment samples were taken at monitoring stations in northeast Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaon...

Diplomatic Cross

Search This Blog