Council Advocates for Meaningful Access to Legal Representation in Immigration Detention

The American Immigration Council,  the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and nearly 90 legal service provider organizations sent a letter to U.S. Department Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Tae D. Johnson highlighting the obstacles to attorney access that exist in immigration detention facilities nationwide.  

The letter describes barriers people in detention face in accessing legal representation and calls for an end to the restrictions placed on the most basic modes of communication that detained people need to connect with their lawyers and the rest of the outside world, including phones, mail, and email access. It also provides recommendations to remove these obstacles and ensure adequate access to counsel and a meaningful opportunity for people to represent themselves.