The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in coordination with the MacArthur Justice Center and a private law firm, filed a lawsuit against the federal administration for allegedly allowing the rights of immigrants detained at the Broadwiew Immigration Center to be violatedlocated near Chicago.
The complaint mentions that, when deprived of their liberty, detained foreigners lacking legal status are exposed for days to unhealthy and unsafe conditions.
Presumably, the aforementioned property is not equipped for detainees to stay for prolonged periods and does not have medical service, sufficient food, water or hygiene products. Apparently they only get two or three cold sandwiches throughout the day.
Another point to highlight is that Immigrants are forced to remain standing at night, due to the small size of the four small detention cells, which are usually full. making it difficult to find a space to sleep always accompanied by artificial light, which could be considered psychological abuse.
However, perhaps The most serious thing is the impossibility of immigrants being able to communicate with their families or with a lawyer to guide them about their legal situation.
“By preventing access to detainees within Broadview, the defendants have created a black box where they make people disappear from the United States justice and immigration systems,” the lawsuit mentions.
It is even highlighted that some people are pressured to sign documents renouncing their rights and agreeing to be deported to their countries of origin without presenting them before an immigration judge.
In this regard, through a statement, Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center office in Illinois, alerted people at risk of being detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service to assert their rights.
“Every person, regardless of legal status, has the right to access a lawyer and not to be subjected to horrible and inhumane conditions“, indicates part of the letter.
So far, no government officials have commented on the ongoing lawsuit.
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