20 May 2008

Immigration Agents Still Assholes

The New York Times notes that 3,300 people a year from countries where visas are not required to enter the U.S. are detained or deported on the whim of immigration officials (out of 8 million visits). Entry can be denied on a whim without proof or an opportunity to contest the decision.

Those whom the Department of Homeland Security claims are seeking asylum (even when the person detained denies it) are held indefinitely without meaningful due process. The case described suggests strong that immigration officials lie to punish people with unjustified detention for this ground, and often abuse their discretion. The responsible immigration officers in this case, for example, are little more than criminals in uniform.

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