Thursday, December 24, 2009

Putting detainees on ICE

It can't happen here, probably, but next month's The Nation has a disturbing story about detainees 'disappearing' into Immigration and Customs Enforcement subfield offices.

Author Jacqueline Stevens opens with this jaw-dropping quote from former ICE Office of State and Local Coordination executive director James Pendergraph: "If you don't have enough evidence to charge someone criminally but you think he's illegal, we can make him disappear."

Stevens lists 186 unlisted and unmarked field offices where detainees are held, with anecdotal tales of family and attorneys trying to find people who were detained.

I could quote huge swaths of the article, but I really, strongly suggest you read the original. I think you'll be as appalled as I was. One more excerpt:
ICE refused a request for an interview, selectively responded to questions sent by e-mail and refused to identify the person authorizing the reply--another symptom of ICE thwarting transparency and hence accountability. The anonymous official provided no explanation for ICE not posting a list of subfield office locations and phone numbers or for its lack of a real-time locator database.
I'm making the assumption that it probably can't happen in the CNMI because we're so small. I wonder.

6 comments:

Angelo Villagomez said...

There is a saying in China, "The mountains are high and the emperor is far away."

Angelo Villagomez said...

山高皇帝远

-just to prove it was Chinese.

Just Trust Me said...

In Germany the Brown Shirts just wanted to make the trains run on time...at first.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if that is a problem here yet. I believe recently the USCIS tried to kick out ITE from the TSL plaza in Garapan because they wanted to build a detention center there. Since CNMI wants to gouge ICE for detention space, I wouldn't be surprised if they make a little back room in the "Service Center" in Garapan to hold inmates.

Anonymous said...

DOC bills the Feds $206 per day for any Fed inmate kept in the Adult Correctional Facility.

KAP said...

I don't know the going rate elsewhere... that could be reasonable.