Kathy O'Leary at The Union County Courthouse on Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage...

Kathy O'Leary of Pax Christi NJ (formerly a board member of First Friends of NJ & NY) at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, NJ, speaking about Union County's compliance with ICE detainers, especially relevant in the light of the Third Circuit Court Of Appeals ruling the previous week that compliance is entirely voluntary. She addresses the paradox that the county claims no responsibility for the treatment of immigrant detainees at Corrections Corporation Of America (CCA)'s facility at EDC - even as it cooperates with the for-profit prison by helping to fill its beds, in this county that prides itself on its immigrant population.

This action was part of the 5th Annual Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage For Dismantling of the Detention and Deportation Machine that Feeds the Prison Industrial Complex At Sites Across New Jersey on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

https://www.facebook.com/events/210937349105529/

Ironically, Union County has since ceased to blindly honor all ICE detainers:

https://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights/aclu-nj-applauds-union-county-first-countywide-policy-nj-declining-immigration

More about Pax Christi NJ may be found here:

http://paxsummit.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/70959325050
https://twitter.com/PaxChristiNJ

This was near the end of a day-long series of events in 4 cities in New Jersey, Including a 10-Mile March from Ellis Island to the Elizabeth Detention Center; which culminated in the 18th Annual Vigil at EDC. People from across the state representing over a dozen faith-based, community, youth, and immigrant rights groups, & families of current & former detainees (including members from Pax Christi USA New Jersey, IRATE & First Friends, PICO-NJ, American Friends Service Committee AFSC Immigrant Rights Program, Wind of the Spirit and New Jersey Advocates For Immigrant Detainees or NJAID), The Most Rev. Bernard Hebda, Presiding Co-Adjutor Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark; The Most Reverend Thomas A. Donato, DD, Regional Bishop for Hudson County of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark; Rev. Canon Petero Sabune; Yves Nibungco, chairperson Anakbayan USA; Ana Bonilla Martinez, organizer, Wind of the Spirit; Luke Nephew, spoken word artist and member The Peace Poets) gathered in Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City & Newark to call for the dismantling of the detention and deportation machine that is feeding the prison industrial complex.

Participants drew attention to the interconnectedness of our county's projection of military and economic power abroad with the flow of migrants and the way in which the detention and deportation machine feeds the prison industrial complex, tearing apart families in the process. Vigils, rallies and protests including prayer, music and testimony to call attention to our country's foreign policies that force people to migrate, were held to call for a halt to the detentions and deportations that are tearing apart families and to call for an end to prison profiteering.

Actions were held at Liberty State Park, the Hudson County Administration Bldg., St. Peter's University's Panepinto Plaza, St. James Church, the offices of Senators Cory Booker & Robert Menendez at One Gateway Center, the Rodino Federal Bldg., the Essex County Hall of Records, the Union County Courthouse, & EDC (a for-profit facility operated by the Corrections Corporation of America or CCA, where ICE first started incarcerating immigrants in NJ almost two decades ago).

A public statement against for-profit incarceration was made at the Board of Chosen Freeholders Meeting at the Essex County Hall of Records at 7pm. And there was also a mass held in solidarity at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Camden & a press conference with the family of a released detainee.

You can find the press release here:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/casa-esperanza/press-release-for-ash-wednesday-pilgrimageday-of-action-against-immigrant-detent/10152235270748537

Rev. Joyce Antila Phipps, Esq. at the Ash Wednesday 2013 Pilgrimage To R...

#immigration #immigrationdetention #immigrationlaw #immigrationcourts #immigrationpolicy #immigrants #immigrantrights #immigrantdetention #Elizabeth #NewJersey #NJ #EDC #ElizabethDetentionCenter #CCA #corrections #privateprisons #privatecorrections #ICE #DHS #HomelandSecurity #Obama #ChrisChristie #MotherJones #government #politics #deportation #courts #law #Jesus #Mohammed

Kathy O'Leary at Delaney Hall on the DREAMS NOT DETENTION Bus Tour To En...

Kathy Wargo O'Leary of Pax Christi NJ (& at the time a board member of First Friends of NJ & NY) on the DREAMS Not DETENTION Bus Tour To End #ImmigrantDetention 2012 - she speaks about #DelaneyHall, #CommunityEducationCenters (#CEC), & the #EssexCounty Board Of #Freeholders;
the need for the people to reach out to their elected officials &
hold them accountable; the obscenity of the status quo of putting profit
over people & the inevitability of Occupy Wall Street - she scolds John Clancy for the manipulation of the truth he used to get his bid for CEC to have Delaney Hall house #immigrantdetainees, and the #environmentalracism as well as socio-political #racism which has helped drive the boom in #immigrationdetention in these #privateprisons,
in remote & toxic environments; & she reminds us of the people
that are suffering from lack of clean water, food & medical care
within this nation's #correctionalfacilities,
horrible enough on their own but especially atrocious considering that
most immigrants are detained on civil infractions, & routinely
denied due process rights to challenge their detention.

#NewJersey
advocates, faith leaders, & residents took a bus tour of the
state's jails which house immigrant detainees to tell local politicians
to choose "DREAMs not Detention" on Monday, October 8, 2012, in
commemoration of Indigenous Celebration Day.

Vigils were
organized in every NJ community that detains and profits from the
incarceration of immigrant workers, students, parents and community
members.

The bus left the #ElizabethDetentionCenter & stopped at jails in #Bergen, #Hudson, and #Essex
counties. All hold people suspected of being in violation immigration
laws in return for a per diem payment from Immigrations and Customs
Enforcement (#ICE). Vigils were also held in #Sussex and #Monmouth
counties which also hold immigrants for ICE. The bus will return for an
afternoon vigil to the Elizabeth Detention Center, the for-profit
facility operated by Corrections Corporation of America (#CCA) where ICE first started incarcerating #immigrants in #NJ over a decade ago.

The event was co-sponsored by: First Friends; Pax Christi NJ; AFSC Immigrant Rights Program - Newark; Wind of the Spirit; Felician Sisters of North America; Casa Esperanza; St Joseph Social Service Center; Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless; Reformed Church of Highland Park; Passaic County Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry - NJ Synod; NJ; St. Stephan's Grace Community - ELCA; Centro Jornaleros Unidos de Passaic; Action 21; NJ for Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast; Monmouth County Coalition of Immigrant Rights; (NJAID) New Jersey Advocates For Immigrant Detainees, Unidad Latina en Acción NJ; Casa Freehold; Shrine of St. Joseph - Sterling; Riverside Sojourners Immigration Detention Visitor Project; NJ Forum for Human Rights; Elizabeth Lutheran Center; JAN-NJ; Intentional Community -- Wyckoff

_______________________________________________


The press release for the event may be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/casa-esperanza/dreams-not-detention-bus-tour-vigils-to-end-immigration-detention-press-release-/10151189895933537

The facebook event is archived here:

http://www.facebook.com/events/361779337233916/

Pictures from the day may be viewed here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151192008088537.475467.122914673536&type=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-nIiEcNymk

Kathy O'Leary at the DREAMS NOT DETENTION Bus Tour & Vigils To End Immig...

Kathy O'Leary of Pax Christi USA's #NewJersey contingent & at the time a board member of First Friends of NJ & NY, speaking outside the #ElizabethDetentionCenter at the end of the tour of every single facility which holds #immigrants in #immigrantdetention in New Jersey - regarding the 2500 detainees being held every day in the state, the mendacity of #ICE and the immorality of #immigrationdetention, the #institutionalizedracism #racism & #discrimination on the basis of #religion, #class, & #countryoforigin; & the #caracola & the #JerichoWalk : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD1Z12uFRDo

#immigration #immigrationlaw #immigrationcourts #immigrantrights #EDC #DHS #HomelandSecurity #border #mandatorydetention #asylum #asylumlaw #internationallaw #civilrights #humanrights #protests #vigils

J. Amos Caley on the DREAMS NOT DETENTION Bus Tour & Vigils To End Immig...

#‎Video‬ of J Amos Caley of the Reformed Church of Highland Park ‪#‎HighlandPark‬ speaking at the ‪#‎ElizabethDetentionCenter‬ in Elizabeth, New Jersey ‪#‎Elizabeth‬ ‪#‎NewJersey‬ ‪#‎NJ‬ as part of the DREAMS Not Detention Bus Tour & Vigils Campaign To End ‪#‎ImmigrantDetention‬ (10-8-12) on ‪#‎visitation‬ & being a ‪#‎visitor‬ at Delaney Hall & the Elizabeth Detention Center - Department of Homeland Security; the pre-dawn ‪#‎raids‬ of ‪#‎Indonesians‬ in the mid-aughts & the breakup of ‪#‎families‬, the ruining of ‪#‎marriages‬, & the devastation wrought in individuals' lives from their subsequent ‪#‎immigrationdetention‬ & ‪#‎deportation‬; the audacity & intransigence of the ‪#‎ICE‬ officials who hold the lives of ‪#‎immigrantdetainees‬ in their hands as well as the ‪#‎abuseofpower‬ which ‪#‎mandatorydetention‬ & ‪#‎privateprisons‬
have encouraged to thrive; the callous lack of response from elected
officials & especially the Barack Obama administration (which has
continually broken records for detention & deportation), the broken
promises, the lies & deception, and the irrationality of expanding
detention when ‪#‎AlternativesToDetention‬ or ‪#‎ATDs‬ will cost the taxpayer a fraction of the investment in ‪#‎prisons‬ & ‪#‎jails‬ which the ‪#‎government‬ has made (at the same time as they pretend to be trying to balance the ‪#‎budget‬) - all summed up brilliantly by this young man who has dedicated so much time & energy to the fight for ‪#‎immigrantrights‬ & the ‪#‎dueprocess‬ ‪#‎rights‬ of the ‪#‎Constitution‬ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc1dGKmM_EY

Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage 2014 : Filthy Rotten System's Emancipation Song...

#FilthyRottenSystem doing Bob Marley's Emancipation Song into Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land at #LibertyStatePark, across the footbridge from #EllisIsland & within sight of the #StatueOfLiberty, for the 5th Annual #AshWednesday #Pilgrimage For Dismantling of the #Detention and #Deportation Machine that Feeds the #Prison Industrial Complex At Sites Across New Jersey on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

https://www.facebook.com/events/210937349105529/

This was the beginning of a day-long series of events in 4 cities in #NewJersey, including a 10-Mile March from Ellis Island to the Elizabeth Detention Center; which culminated in the 18th Annual #Vigil at #EDC. People from across the state representing over a dozen #faith-based, #community, #youth, and #immigrantrights groups, & families of current & former #detainees
(including members from Pax Christi USA New Jersey Chapter or PCNJ,
IRATE & First Friends, PICO-NJ, American Friends Service Committee #AFSC #Immigrant #Rights
Program, Wind of the Spirit and New Jersey Advocates For Immigrant
Detainees or NJAID), The Most Rev. Bernard Hebda, Presiding Co-Adjutor
Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark; The Most
Reverend Thomas A. Donato, DD, Regional Bishop for Hudson County of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark; Rev. Canon Petero Sabune; Yves
Nibungco, chairperson Anakbayan USA; Ana Bonilla Martinez, organizer,
Wind of the Spirit; Luke Nephew, spoken word artist and member The Peace
Poets) gathered in #Camden, #Elizabeth, #JerseyCity & #Newark to call for the dismantling of the detention and deportation machine that is feeding the prison industrial complex.

Participants drew attention to the interconnectedness of our county's projection of #military and economic power abroad with the flow of #migrants
and the way in which the detention and deportation machine feeds the
prison industrial complex, tearing apart families in the process. #Vigils, #rallies and #protests
including prayer, music and testimony to call attention to our
country's foreign policies that force people to migrate, were held to
call for a halt to the detentions and deportations that are tearing
apart families and to call for an end to prison profiteering.


Actions were held at Liberty State Park, the Hudson County
Administration Bldg., St. Peter's University's Panepinto Plaza, St.
James Church, the offices of Senators Cory Booker & Robert Menendez
at One Gateway Center, the Rodino Federal Bldg., the Essex County Hall
of Records, the Union County Courthouse, & EDC (a for-profit
facility operated by the Corrections Corporation of America or CCA,
where ICE first started incarcerating immigrants in NJ almost two
decades ago).

A public statement against for-profit
incarceration was made at the Board of Chosen Freeholders Meeting at the
Essex County Hall of Records at 7pm. And there was also a mass held in
solidarity at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Camden & a
press conference with the family of a released detainee.

You can find the press release here:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/casa-esperanza/press-release-for-ash-wednesday-pilgrimageday-of-action-against-immigrant-detent/10152235270748537

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opGMGCoIqNg

Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage 2014 : Luke Nephew Of The Peace Poets

)



Luke Nephew of The Peace Poets recites his poem "Falling In SolidarityNYC", speaking truth to power about making love political & hate unpopular, food for thought, marching for justice, hope for community, the struggle to end immigrant detention, the beauty of freedom, & the difficulties of unity, optimism about a future where the police state doesn't bomb innocent people & war is impossible, where army recruiting facilities are shut down & human beings are incapable of being exploited as machines.

Luke spoke at #LibertyStatePark, across the footbridge from #EllisIsland & within sight of the #StatueOfLiberty, for the 5th Annual #AshWednesday #Pilgrimage For Dismantling of the #Detention and #Deportation Machine that Feeds the #Prison Industrial Complex At Sites Across New Jersey on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

This was the beginning of a day-long series of events in 4 cities in #NewJersey, including a 10-Mile March from Ellis Island to the Elizabeth Detention Center; which culminated in the 18th Annual #Vigil at #EDC. People from across the state representing over a dozen #faith-based, #community, #youth, and #immigrantrights groups, & families of current & former #detainees (including members from Pax Christi USA New Jersey Chapter or PCNJ, IRATE & First Friends, PICO-NJ, American Friends Service Committee #AFSC #Immigrant #Rights Program, Wind of the Spirit and New Jersey Advocates For Immigrant Detainees or NJAID), The Most Rev. Bernard Hebda, Presiding Co-Adjutor Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark; The Most Reverend Thomas A. Donato, DD, Regional Bishop for Hudson County of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark; Rev. Canon Petero Sabune; Yves Nibungco, chairperson Anakbayan USA; Ana Bonilla Martinez, organizer, Wind of the Spirit; Luke Nephew, spoken word artist and member The Peace Poets) gathered in #Camden, #Elizabeth, #JerseyCity & #Newark to call for the dismantling of the detention and deportation machine that is feeding the prison industrial complex.

Participants drew attention to the interconnectedness of our county's projection of #military and economic power abroad with the flow of #migrants and the way in which the detention and deportation machine feeds the prison industrial complex, tearing apart families in the process. #Vigils, #rallies and #protests including prayer, music and testimony to call attention to our country's foreign policies that force people to migrate, were held to call for a halt to the detentions and deportations that are tearing apart families and to call for an end to prison profiteering.

Actions were held at Liberty State Park, the Hudson County Administration Bldg., St. Peter's University's Panepinto Plaza, St. James Church, the offices of Senators Cory Booker & Robert Menendez at One Gateway Center, the Rodino Federal Bldg., the Essex County Hall of Records, the Union County Courthouse, & EDC (a for-profit facility operated by the Corrections Corporation of America or CCA, where ICE first started incarcerating immigrants in NJ almost two decades ago).

A public statement against for-profit incarceration was made at the Board of Chosen Freeholders Meeting at the Essex County Hall of Records at 7pm. And there was also a mass held in solidarity at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Camden & a press conference with the family of a released detainee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWp4GjchWCs

VIDEO & AUDIO: International Human Rights Day Becomes Call for Obama to Stop Deportations

VIDEO & AUDIO: International Human Rights Day Becomes Call for Obama to Stop Deportations

Civil Disobiedience on Interntional Human Rights Day at Elizabeth Detention Center. NOT #1 More Deportation!

Civil Disobiedience on Interntional Human Rights Day at Elizabeth Detention Center. NOT #1 More Deportation!

Not1More Ni1Mas Vigil at the CCA Elizabeth Detention Center (12-10-13)

Take action/sign petitions to halt unjust deportations here: http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/deportation-cases/

http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/2013/12/10/jersey/

Elizabeth, NJ -- December 10th, 2013 :: During the week that Congress will close for 2013 without having passed an immigration reform bill, a group of Jersey residents have locked themselves together in the street that serves as an entrance to the Elizabeth Detention Center (625 Evans St.) to protest the President's deportation arbitrary quota policy and call on him to stop removals and expand deferred action instead.

"We can't let more families to be separated. We can't wait for Congress. After what I saw my family go through I want to help other families that are in the same situation," explains Rosa Santana, who migrated to the US after Hurricane Mitch hit her home country of Honduras and who's aunt and uncle were deported.

The action is the latest in a series of civil disobediences that have exposed the harm caused by current immigration policy and urged the President to act. In the midst of a pending snowstorm and on International Human Rights Day, they say they want to bring visibility to those in the Detention Center and to the people suffering from current policies like the Secure Communities deportation program.

Without further executive action, the President will hit the record of 2,000,000 people deported in the near future. But participants say there is still time for Obama to turn his policies around.

"We're doing everything in our power to stop deportations," says Carlos Canales of Casa Freehold. "We're out here in the cold hoping I that President Obama's heart softens, and understands that immigrants are here to work and help our families."

###

#Not1More Deportation in New Jersey. International Human Rights Day Blockade! from R. Evolution Productions on Vimeo :: https://vimeo.com/81469004#

Ilana Rossoff is a community organizer from Morristown, NJ....

Diana Mejia came to the United States in 1991 as an undocumented immigrant. She is an organizer and immigrant rights organizer with Wind of the Spirit....

Marguerita 'Rita' Jane Dentino is the director of Casa Freehold. At almost 70 years old, she has been an immigrant rights activist her whole life....

Daniel Goldstein is a professor of anthropology at Rutgers University and is a volunteer on the board of Casa Freehold, a day laborer rights organization in Freehold, New Jersey....

Ligia S. Trujillo is an immigrant from Bogota, Colombia....

Carlos Canales is an immigrant rights organizer with Casa Freehold in Freehold, New Jersey. He is an immigrant himself from El Salvador, who traveled here undocumented in 1986....

Jorge Torres was born in Ecuador, where he had his first experience seeing inequality, particularly in the way indigenous people in his town were treated. He is an film maker, and an immigrant rights organizer....

Roberto Lopez lives in Kearny, New Jersey, working as an independent writer for Spanish language newspapers and is an organizer with Unidad Latina en Acción New Jersey.

About #Not1More

NotOneMoreDeportation.com is a project of NDLON meant to foster collaboration between individuals, organizations, artists, and allies to expose, confront, and overcome unjust immigration laws.....

Contribute your own art to the project here: http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/art/call-to-artists/#submission

The organizers of the day's event were comprised of Vientos del Espiritu, Action 21, Casa Freehold, NJCU, Pax Christi, & Unidad Latina en Accion NJ.

______________________________________________________________


The press release may be read here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/casa-esperanza/press-release-for-not1more-vigil-at-elizabeth-detention-center-12-10-13/10152046220663537

The facebook event is archived here: https://www.facebook.com/events/231979670308987

____________________________________________________________


For more from Casa Esperanza, you should look here:


http://www.facebook.com/casaesperanzanj
http://www.facebook.com/groups/casaesperanzanj/
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/casaesperanza
http://www.linkedin.com/in/casaesperanza
https://twitter.com/casaesperanzanj

https://plus.google.com/u/0/110331423146816267627/posts

http://www.flickr.com/people/casaesperanza/
http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/casaesperanza
http://www.myspace.com/552664030
http://casaesperanza.newsvine.com/
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And subscribe to our blogspots:

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34,000 Sold: How human rights are traded for profit in the United States.

The Dirty Business Of Turning This Latino Farmworker Town Into A Toxic W...

Cory Booker’s immigration shift doesn’t stick with voters in New Jersey

Cory Booker’s immigration shift doesn’t stick with voters in New Jersey

Democrat still leads in tightened polls

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By Seth McLaughlin

-

The Washington Times

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

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• TWT coverage of immigration reform

Story Topics

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• Steve Lonegan
• Cory A. Booker
• David P. Redlawsk

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Back in the summer, few in New Jersey raised an eyebrow when the police commissioner in Newark reporting to Mayor Cory A. Booker suddenly imposed a policy refusing to assist federal officials trying to deport illegal immigrants.
In other states, the move could have been political kryptonite for Mr. Booker, but not in New Jersey, where he went on to win the Democratic nomination for the state’s U.S. Senate seat, and appears headed for a victory over Republican Steve Lonegan in next week’s special election.

---

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Immigration Reform

---

Mr. Lonegan, a small-business owner and former mayor of the Bergen County borough of Bogota, has struggled to make charges stick against his better-known and better-funded opponent. He has lodged attacks against Mr. Booker for spending time at out-of-state fundraisers, his ties to President Obama, and even a brief foray to criticize the Newark mayor for the immigration policy.
Polls show the race tightening but seemingly well beyond the Republican’s reach. A Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday gave Mr. Booker a 12 percentage-point lead and showed that the hottest issue of the race — Mr. Booker’s Twitter relationship with an attractive stripper — hasn’t hurt him.
“From the public standpoint, it is not all that clear what the issues are other than Lonegan is anti-government and supportive of the government shutdown and that Booker is saying that the government can do good things,” said David P. Redlawsk, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
The seat opened this year with the death of Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, a Democrat and the last remaining World War II veteran to serve in the upper chamber.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, tapped Jeffrey S. Chiesa, the state’s Republican attorney general, to the seat, and set up an Oct. 16 special election to fill out the rest of Mr. Lautenberg’s term, which ends next year. Whoever wins the contest will have to decide whether to defend the seat in the 2014 election.
With polls narrowing, Democrats and other Booker allies are sending in financial reinforcements. New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced this week his Independence USA political action committee was bankrolling a campaign ad for Mr. Booker.
But political observers say it will be nearly impossible for Mr. Lonegan to overcome Mr. Booker’s lead, particularly because there are 700,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state.
“The assumption remains that Cory Booker is likely to win this, though he may not win by the kind of margin that was earlier anticipated and that most people believe that is because he has not run much of a campaign,” Mr. Redlawsk said.
Jennifer Duffy, of the Cook Political Report, said the seat is “solid Democratic.”
“While a couple of reliable polls have shown some closure, Booker is still above 50 percent, and has a considerably greater presence on television, which is critical in New Jersey,” Ms. Duffy said.
Rick Shaftan, a Lonegan spokesman, said the polls are misleading because turnout is unpredictable in special elections.
“We are in a neck-and-neck race,” said Rick Shaftan, a Lonegan spokesman. “This is a turnout race.”
Mr. Booker cruised to victory in the Democratic primary and has spent a lot of time outside the state at fundraisers hosted by the likes of Matt Damon and Oprah Winfrey — opening him up to criticism that he is more interested in his national celebrity than in governance.

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New Detention Center Rules Could Keep Many Immigrants Out Of Solitary Confinement

New Detention Center Rules Could Keep Many Immigrants Out Of Solitary Confinement

By Aviva Shen on September 18, 2013 at 1:13 pm

CREDIT: Shutterstock

After a harrowing New York Times report exposed how hundreds of non-violent immigrants are being held in solitary confinement, the Department of Homeland Security vowed to review the practice in March. Six months later, immigration officials have released new rules restricting the use of solitary confinement in immigration detention centers.
Solitary confinement is supposed to be a last-ditch measure to separate dangerous individuals from the general public. However, the Times’ investigation found rampant abuse of the practice. At least 300 immigrants are held in small cells for 15 to 75 days, well past the point doctors say can cause severe mental harm. Solitary confinement for long periods of time can trigger suicidal thoughts, self-harm, hallucinations, and permanent trauma. These detainees are only allowed outside for one hour a day, making it nearly impossible for them to be in touch with family or attorneys.
The new rules limit confinement to a maximum of two weeks, with any longer period needing the approval of higher authorities first. After that, an additional review is required for every 30 days the immigrant is kept confined.
Before now, official reports did not ask why an individual was confined. Estimates suggest about two-thirds of confined individuals were being punished for talking back to guards or breaking rules — a relatively common occurrence given many detainees’ limited understanding of English or legal proceedings. The new policy calls for rigid monitoring and reporting to federal officials for every case of solitary confinement.
The policy also seeks to protect mentally ill, disabled and LGBT detainees, whom guards sometimes put in solitary confinement because they are supposedly in danger from the general jail population. Even children have been isolated for their protection. Now, these vulnerable individuals can only be put in solitary if they request it.
Solitary confinement of immigrants is especially egregious because, far from posing a danger to others, they are being detained to await civil deportation proceedings. However, solitary confinement plagues the criminal justice system as well. California prisoners launched a hunger strike this summer to protest the common practice of indefinite solitary confinement, which can stretch on for decades. The hunger strike ended after almost two months, but thousands of inmates — including children — continue to be held in total physical and social isolation.

Tags:

• Department of Homeland Security
• Deportation
• Human Rights
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Prisons

Few ICE Detainers Target Serious Criminals

Few ICE Detainers Target Serious Criminals

Very timely case-by-case data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) show that no more than 14 percent of the "detainers" issued by the government in FY 2012 and the first four months of FY 2013 met the agency's stated goal of targeting individuals who pose a serious threat to public safety or national security. In fact, roughly half of the 347,691 individuals subject to an ICE detainer (47.7 percent) had no record of a criminal conviction, not even a minor traffic violation.[1]
The very recent ICE data further showed that if traffic violations (including driving while intoxicated) and marijuana possession are put aside, fully two thirds of all detainers had no record of a conviction. See Figure 1.

Figure 1. Most Serious Criminal Conviction
for Individuals with ICE Detainers

This thoroughly-documented government enforcement effort sharply contrasts with the multiple press releases and official statements issued by the agency. "The removal of aliens who pose a danger to national security or a risk to public safety shall be ICE's highest immigration enforcement priority," claimed former ICE Director John Morton in an agency-wide memo describing the Obama Administration's approach to immigration enforcement announced in June 2010. The stark difference between the agency's rhetoric and its actual performance is startling.
Detainers, often called "immigration holds," are a primary tool that ICE uses to apprehend the suspects it is seeking. The official ICE notices ask local, state and federal law enforcement agencies not to release suspected non-citizens held at their facilities in order to give ICE an opportunity to take them into its custody.[2] However, there is no legal obligation for state and local law enforcement agencies to honor these detainers, and some jurisdictions have begun refusing to hold arrestees for minor violations or those who pose little risk to public safety.[3]
The extensive new information presented in this report about ICE detainers and how the agency has used them was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University. These data cover all ICE detainers placed during the sixteen month period from October 1, 2011 to January 31, 2013.
(This is the second in a three-part series discussing ICE detainers. Part I of the series, published July 25, covered monthly trends in detainer use and found that the average monthly number of detainers issued this fiscal year was down 19 percent from the monthly average level during FY 2012. It also examined which ICE programs had issued them. Part III of the series, now in preparation, will compare data on a state-by-state and a detention facility-by-detention facility basis to examine where ICE detainers were sent. TRAC's February report on detainers covered earlier time periods and was based on much more limited information.)

Who Is Being Targeted: Reasons Cited When Detainer Placed
The boxes checked on the detainer forms indicate the reason(s) DHS officers are asking the law enforcement agencies to hold the arrestees. In its FOIA request to ICE, TRAC asked for the information recorded in these boxes both on the old detainer form in use until December 21, 2012 and on the new form now in use.[4] Data on which boxes had been checked were not provided to TRAC; ICE claimed this information was not recorded in its databases.

Figure 2. DHS Actions, Old Form I-247 (12/11) (click for PDF document)

Figure 3. DHS Actions, New Form I-247 (12/12) (click for PDF document)

The box(es) checked on the old form indicated at what point in the enforcement process the detainer was issued. Was ICE just initiating an investigation to determine if a person is subject to removal? Or, for example, was there a final order of removal that ICE was seeking to execute? On the new form, the phrase "initiating an investigation..." has been replaced with the statement that there "is reason to believe the individual is an alien subject to removal" with checkboxes to indicate what the reason is. The available boxes include such options as "a prior felony conviction or has been charged with a felony" or criminally convicted of "illegal entry..." For a full list of reasons, see Figure 3.
The agency's assertion that it does not record which box or boxes are checked on either the old or the replacement I-247 is surprising, if not unbelievable. If true, how does ICE management monitor whether agency policies on issuing detainers are in fact being carried out? What was the purpose of Director Morton issuing the revised directive last December if the agency's managers did not plan to assess its impact on the agents' behavior in the field? Without some way to measure what is going on, a large agency such as ICE would be acting in the dark when it attempted to manage its operations.
ICE did provide some information as to the status of the enforcement process as of March 2013, some months after the detainers were placed. These data are summarized in Table 1 and Figure 4. As of that time, a removal order had been issued for 13 percent of the individuals. For an additional 3 percent of the cases, either an arrest warrant had been issued or an immigration court proceeding had begun to secure a removal order. For all the remaining cases, an investigation was still going on (74%) or had been terminated (10%).

Table 1. Current Immigration Enforcement Status After Detainer Placed* Number Percent Deportation ordered 46,470 13% Arrest warrant served 1,751 1% Removal proceedings initiated in Immigration Court 6,787 2% Active investigation 257,232 74% No active investigation 35,451 10% Total 347,691 100% *Covers all ICE detainers placed from October 1, 2011 - January 31, 2013. Status is what was recorded In ICE records as of March 19, 2013 when according to the agency the data extract was made — not the status at the time the detainer was issued. Since more than one reason could apply, the first listed criterion was credited in the descending order listed. TRAC did not receive the data until the end of June because of apparent delays in the FOIA office reviewing the data and actually releasing the information to TRAC.

Figure 4. Current Immigration Enforcement Status After Detainer Placed

Information TRAC Sought on Criminal Charges
TRAC also asked for information about the specific crimes these individuals were charged with, the dates when the charges were filed, and which of them had resulted in a conviction or were still pending. In addition, TRAC requested ICE's classification of these cases by their seriousness — Level 1 being most serious to Level 3 being least serious. Because ICE has several classification systems, TRAC requested the data on each one.

• LESC Levels. The first classification system is used by Secure Communities (SC) and divides offenses into three "LESC Levels" according to their perceived seriousness. This judgment is based on the most serious charge, whether or not a conviction has yet occurred. Statistics using this system are published monthly for all "INTEROP Matches" made through the Secure Communities program.
• Detainer Threat Levels. ICE refers to a second system as the "Detainer Threat Level." Similar to LESC Levels, it takes into consideration charges that haven't yet resulted in any conviction. According to ICE, this threat level "is based upon [...] the initial crime at the time the detainer is prepared." Other distinctions between these two systems, if any, remain unclear.
• RC Threat Levels. The third system — ICE refers to this as the removal case or "RC Threat Level" — is based only on convictions. Since October 1, 2010 ICE threat levels use the prioritization of criminal offenses outlined in Director Morton's ICE Civil Immigration Enforcement Priorities memo of June 30, 2010 as amended and updated by the memorandum of the same title issued March 2, 2011.

TRAC sought this additional information for two reasons: first, to examine the available evidence about how effectively ICE was carrying out its announced targeting priorities; second, to shed light on both the claims and counterclaims frequently made in defense and opposition to the Secure Communities program.
An increasing number of local law enforcement agencies, for example, have expressed concern that SC may be sweeping up and processing for deportations individuals who were charged with only a minor violation at the cost of undermining the community's trust and cooperation with local law enforcement officers. ICE has countered that individuals currently charged with a minor violation may have committed serious crimes in the past and thereby pose a clear threat to public safety. Immigration rights advocates have challenged the wisdom of using long ago convictions to judge the current threat posed by individuals who subsequently have shown themselves to be law abiding and valuable members of society.
TRAC encountered numerous problems when it sought this information from ICE. First, without explanation, ICE failed to release any data on charges that were still pending or had not resulted in a conviction. Nor did it release information on the LESC Levels that individuals were assigned by Secure Communities. ICE gave as its reason that "LESC Levels are those reported with INTEROP Matches; they are not generally linked or reported to individual detainer cases, and accordingly [were] not being provided."
It is revealing that, while the agency initially extracted the requested data about "Detainer Threat Level" from its computerized records, the FOIA office then redacted this data. ICE FOIA officer Catrina Pavlik-Keenan, in a letter to TRAC, claimed that the release of this information "could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law." Officer Pavlik-Keenan did not explain her reasoning. If the detainer threat levels reflect the priorities championed by former ICE Director Morton, who stepped down last July, it is difficult to understand the agency's claim that releasing the information would be harmful. In fact, of course, all that the requested information would reveal is whether the agency is actually carrying out its announced priorities.
Finally, ICE also withheld information on which detainers had been issued as part of the Secure Communities program and which were issued under other programs it administers. (See TRAC's discussion of these in Part I of this series.) When an agency withholds requested information, the FOIA requires it to explain the legal basis for the decision. In this case, however, it simply said it wasn't the agency's practice to provide it. On a similar note, TRAC's request for information identifying individuals who fell into any other agency priorities — "ICE fugitive, prior removal and return, entered without inspection, visa violators and overstays" — was also withheld. The agency claimed that "they cannot be [...] reliably" determined and hence were not provided.[5]

ICE Targeting Based on Criminal Convictions
Even in the face of ICE's general foot dragging, the agency did provide case-by-case data on the most serious conviction and the date that this had occurred. It also released for each detainer case ICE's RC Threat Level — Level 1, 2, or 3 — which is based on convictions. In addition, it released information on whether or not the individual was classified as an aggravated felon. Following are the highlights from the analysis of these data.
The top 25 offenses ICE recorded as the most serious conviction for the individuals who were subject to a detainer is shown in Table 2. The much longer list covering all offenses is found in this detail table.

Table 2. The Most Serious Criminal Conviction for Individuals with ICE Detainers

Top 25 Offenses Recorded*	Number	Percent	Rank
All detainers	347,691	100.0%
None	165,769	47.7%	1
Driving Under Influence Liquor	33,342	9.6%	2
Traffic Offense	20,997	6.0%	3
Marijuana - Possession	6,940	2.0%	4
Illegal Entry (INA SEC.101(a)(43)(O), 8USC1325 only)	6,746	1.9%	5
Dangerous Drugs	6,724	1.9%	6
Cocaine - Possession	6,644	1.9%	7
Assault	6,234	1.8%	8
Larceny	4,891	1.4%	9
Cocaine - Sell	4,314	1.2%	10
Robbery	3,480	1.0%	11
Burglary	3,414	1.0%	12
Marijuana - Sell	3,335	1.0%	13
Public Order Crimes	3,129	0.9%	14
Drug Possession	2,773	0.8%	15
Disorderly Conduct	2,758	0.8%	16
Drug Trafficking	2,109	0.6%	17
Sex Assault	2,100	0.6%	18
Amphetamine - Possession	2,008	0.6%	19
Domestic Violence	1,940	0.6%	20
Battery	1,919	0.6%	21
Amphetamine - Sell	1,826	0.5%	22
Trespassing	1,647	0.5%	23
Fraud	1,599	0.5%	24
Forgery	1,539	0.4%	25

*Covers all ICE detainers placed from October 1, 2011 - January 31, 2013 where offense was in top 25. See detail table for complete listing.

As noted earlier, nearly half (48%) of detainers were issued for individuals who had no recorded conviction for any criminal offense. Where there was a conviction, driving under the influence of liquor (DWI) was listed most frequently as the most serious offense. This was the case for one out of ten of the detainers. The second most frequent charge was a conviction for a simple traffic offense (6%), followed in third place by marijuana possession (2%).
Considered together, ICE data show that nearly two out of three detainers (65%) were issued for the following reasons — no charge of any kind, DWI, simple traffic offense, or marijuana possession. Next in frequency was illegal entry itself (1.9%).[6] If the list is limited to those offenses ICE classifies as Level 1, at most less than fifty thousand or 14 percent met this standard.[7]
Given the fact that many individuals included in these tables were already serving time in federal and state prisons at the time the detainer was placed [see Part I of this series], the low proportion who had any criminal conviction was quite unexpected.[8]
When the detainers are classified by the seriousness of the "RC Threat Level," the data show that only 23 percent of the total — fewer than one in four — were classified at Level 1, the most serious threat. According to ICE, Level 1 is restricted to non-citizens: "convicted of 'aggravated felonies,' as defined in § 101(a)(43) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or two or more crimes punishable by more than one year, commonly referred to as 'felonies'." This figure is larger than the 14 percent convicted of serious crimes since ICE also includes anyone convicted of two or more felonies in its Level 1 category, whatever their nature.
In nearly half of all cases the threat level recorded was "NA" — that is, the individual posed no threat since he or she had no criminal conviction.[9] See Figure 5 and Table 3.

Table 3. Detainers by RC Threat Level (October 2011 - January 2013) Threat Category Number Percent Level 1* 80,457 23% Level 2** 43,648 13% Level 3*** 57,823 17% No Threat 165,763 48% Total 347,691 100%

Figure 5. Detainers by RC Threat Level

* Restricted to non-citizens: "convicted of 'aggravated felonies,' as defined in § 101(a)(43) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or two or more crimes punishable by more than one year, commonly referred to as 'felonies'." ** Non-citizens ""convicted of any felony or three or more offenses punishable by less than one year, commonly referred to as 'misdemeanors.'" *** Non-citizens convicted of any offense punishable by less than one year, or simply by a fine or ticket.

See appendix detail table which tabulates the most serious conviction offense against the RC Threat Level that ICE assigned.

ICE Treats Minor Crimes As Serious Threats to Public Safety
TRAC's analysis turned up other equally troubling conditions. When the agency's threat levels based on convictions are tabulated against the most serious convictions, it turns out that minor violations can sometimes lead to the placement of an individual in the highest threat level category. This raises profound questions. Is ICE targeting the wrong individuals because the enforcement information it receives is flawed? Or are the formulas used by ICE in implementing its priorities assigning individuals incorrect threat levels?
Examples of the apparent anomalies can be seen in Table 4. This table lists the most common serious offenses that led the agency to place an individual in the highest threat category. Ranked eleventh among the most common offenses were simple traffic violations. Marijuana possession was the sixth most common. And in second place was DWI, driving while intoxicated. In each situation, the listed offense is the most serious conviction the individual had received.

Table 4. "RC Threat Level 1" and Top 100 Most Serious Criminal Convictions*

Most Serious Criminal Conviction	Number	Percent	Rank (top 100)
All Detainers**	80,457	100%
Cocaine - Sell	4,314	5%	1
Driving Under Influence Liquor	4,189	5%	2
Assault	4,032	5%	3
Dangerous Drugs	3,608	4%	4
Robbery	3,361	4%	5
Marijuana - Possession	3,360	4%	6
Marijuana - Sell	3,334	4%	7
Cocaine - Possession	3,063	4%	8
Burglary	2,767	3%	9
Larceny	2,522	3%	10
Traffic Offense	2,270	3%	11
Drug Trafficking	2,109	3%	12
Sex Assault	2,008	2%	13
Amphetamine - Sell	1,826	2%	14
Illegal Entry (INA SEC-101(a)(43)(O), 8USC1325 only)	1,229	2%	15
Fraud	1,208	2%	16
Weapon Offense	1,199	1%	17
Smuggling Aliens	1,181	1%	18
Forgery	1,086	1%	19
Amphetamine - Possession	1,039	1%	20
Heroin - Sell	1,026	1%	21
Marijuana - Smuggle	935	1%	22
Aggravated Assault - Weapon	899	1%	23
Homicide	884	1%	24
Cruelty Toward Wife	788	1%	25
Marijuana	776	1%	26
Cocaine - Smuggle	734	1%	27
Narcotic Equip - Possession	618	1%	28
Fraud - Impersonating	617	1%	29
Lewd or Lascivious Acts with Minor	597	1%	30
Sex Offense Against Child-Fondling	555	1%	31
Possession Of Weapon	546	1%	32
Fraud - False Statement	516	1%	33
Flight To Avoid (prosecution, confinement, etc-)	494	1%	34
Public Order Crimes	491	1%	35
Disorderly Conduct	483	1%	36
Resisting Officer	483	1%	37
Drug Possession	479	1%	38
Vehicle Theft	476	1%	39
Rape - Strongarm	450	1%	40
Kidnapping	439	1%	41
Shoplifting	423	1%	42
Battery	410	1%	43
Sex Offense	408	1%	44
Domestic Violence	396	0%	45
Trespassing	396	0%	46
Synthetic Narcotic - Sell	389	0%	47
Cocaine	374	0%	48
Cruelty Toward Child	358	0%	49
Hit and Run	357	0%	50
Carrying Concealed Weapon	356	0%	51
Aggravated Assault - Family-Strongarm	340	0%	52
Receive Stolen Property	334	0%	53
Heroin - Possession	315	0%	54
Stolen Property	287	0%	55
Obstruct Police	273	0%	56
Aggravated Assault - Non-family-Weapon	254	0%	57
Burglary - Forced Entry-Residence	252	0%	58
Statutory Rape - No Force	236	0%	59
Illegal Re-Entry (INA SEC-101(a)(43)(O), 8USC1326 only)	232	0%	60
False Imprisonment	229	0%	61
Sex Assault - Carnal Abuse	221	0%	62
Possession Forged (identify in comments)	210	0%	63
Heroin - Smuggle	205	0%	64
Synthetic Narcotic - Possession	204	0%	65
Identity Theft	200	0%	66
Threat Terroristic State Offenses	200	0%	67
Failure To Appear	199	0%	68
Carrying Prohibited Weapon	195	0%	69
Molestation of Minor	195	0%	70
Aggravated Assault - Non-family-Strongarm	194	0%	71
Rape - Remarks	190	0%	72
Damage Property	181	0%	73
Firing Weapon	180	0%	74
Immigration (Possess of Fraud- Immigration Docs)	168	0%	75
Amphetamine	167	0%	76
Simple Assault	162	0%	77
Robbery - Street-Weapon	160	0%	78
Unauthorized Use of Vehicle (includes joy riding)	159	0%	79
Aggravated Assault - Gun	158	0%	80
Sex Assault - Sodomy-Girl-Strongarm	154	0%	81
Amphetamine - Manufacturing	153	0%	82
Homicide-Negligent Manslaughter-Vehicle	152	0%	83
Robbery - Street-Gun	146	0%	84
Possession Stolen Property	145	0%	85
Property Crimes	136	0%	86
Crimes Against Person	132	0%	87
Drugs - Health or Safety	127	0%	88
Fraud - Illegal Use Credit Cards	122	0%	89
Aggravated Assault - Family-Weapon	119	0%	90
Robbery - Street-Strongarm	119	0%	91
Driving Under Influence Drugs	118	0%	92
Stolen Vehicle	117	0%	93
Prostitution	116	0%	94
Forgery Of (identify in comments)	112	0%	95
Aggravated Assault - Police Officer-Strongarm	108	0%	96
Counterfeiting	99	0%	97
Carjacking-Armed	96	0%	98
Obstructing Justice	96	0%	99
Aggravated Assault - Non-family-Gun	94	0%	100

* "[T]he RC Threat level [is] associated with the most serious convicted crime(s) [...] for the alien's case up until the point of departure" according to ICE. The handful of cases without any recorded conviction that appear under Levels 1-3 are no doubt recording errors. Some recording errors are to be expected in any large database.
** Covers ICE detainers placed from October 1, 2011 - January 31, 2013 with the highest ICE-assigned threat level.

In earlier studies, TRAC compared ICE's recorded threat levels with the most serious criminal convictions for individuals and found them to be quite consistent. After ICE revised its criteria, however, TRAC found that the specific offense for its highest (Level 1) seriousness category no longer appeared to match well with the offenses recorded as the most serious conviction. See section entitled "Defining 'Criminal' Activity: What ICE Counts" in TRAC's February 2012 report.
The new system, based on a combination of convictions rather than only the most serious one, is more complicated. TRAC therefore sought the detailed procedures now used by ICE to determine the RC threat levels. These detailed ICE implementation rules are contained in the document illustrated in Figure 6.

Figure 6. ICE Criminal Offense Levels Business Rules (click for PDF document)

There are a number of interesting features of these operational rules:

• Aggravated felonies. Conviction for an "aggravated felony" places a person in the highest threat level under the Morton memorandum. There is a surprisingly large number of offenses in the operational rules (the right most column in Figure 6) treated as aggravated felonies that automatically place a person into Level 1. The offense categories are often broad and would appear to encompass offenses that don't necessarily qualify as "aggravated felonies." See the TRAC report discussing the definition of aggravated felonies. TRAC was able to examine the records concerning individuals who had been placed in the most serious threat level in order to determine whether or not ICE had also classified them as an aggravated felon. What we found was that for these individuals who were also classified as aggravated felons, the most serious charge recorded in the data was not limited to offenses on this list. Instead it included numerous minor crimes such as disorderly conduct, simple traffic violations, failure to appear, and illegal entry.
• Other Level 1 Rules. About half of the Level 1 offenders in the detainer data were individuals that ICE did not consider to be an aggravated felon. Here two felony convictions are required for an individual to be placed in the highest threat level.[10] Again, however, when the most serious convictions for these cases are tabulated, one again sees numerous minor offenses as previously shown in Table 4.
• Everything not a felony is treated as equivalent. While the Morton memo referenced above said that "[s]ome misdemeanors are relatively minor and do not warrant the same degree of focus as others," the rules themselves do not make these distinctions. In addition, the rules don't include any "escape valve" so that truly minor violations aren't elevated to a higher threat level. For example, take citations punishable for at most a small fine. Or consider individuals who send in their checks to pay for traffic tickets or for walking their dog without a leash that occur in jurisdictions that define these as criminal violations (for example, the federal government). These minor transgressions are treated the same as more serious misdemeanors. Any one of them in one's criminal history results in a Level 3 classification as the default, and three of them automatically elevate the individual to a Level 2 violator — equivalent to a person who committed manslaughter or made a bomb threat.
• Reliance on recorded sentence. The rules also consider any minor offense to be a potential felony, based solely on the information recorded on the sentence, without apparently any built-in checks to require further verification when the nature of the offense and the length of sentence appear inconsistent. For example, a simple traffic violation that resulted in one day of jail time, if misinterpreted as one year instead of one day, automatically is classed as a felony. Two minor offenses with questionable sentence information automatically moves an individual into the top threat level — on par with murderers and weapons traffickers.

It is admittedly a difficult challenge for an agency to come up with objective standards to implement its announced priorities. No set of objective standards can fully capture what is and isn't a serious threat to public safety. But an agency with the vast powers granted to ICE by Congress cannot simply shrug its shoulders with a statement that developing rules guiding how the front line troops will function is a challenge. Instead, in a nation committed to the rule of law, ICE has a clear obligation to develop clear, understandable guidelines and then undertake the oversight needed to assure that the mandates are followed.

When the Conviction Had Occurred
Because the date of the most serious conviction was included in the information TRAC received, we were able to divide the data into whether the most serious conviction had occurred before or after the detainer was placed and analyze these records separately.
Convictions after the detainer was placed. TRAC wanted to know just how often the most serious conviction occurred after the detainer was issued, and what was the level of seriousness of that offense. Convictions that occurred after the detainer was issued — presumably relating to the arrest that triggered the detainer — would be likely to be the most serious when it was either the first conviction, or it involved a particularly serious crime. In case serious offenses took longer to resolve we divided the data by when the detainer had been placed, in order to see if a larger proportion of serious offenses turned up when a year or more had elapsed since the arrest. (Results showed that this had not occurred.)

Table 5. Most Serious Conviction Occurs After Detainer Placed

RC Threat Level	Number	Percent
All	38,008	100%
Level 1	7,741	20%
Level 2	8,243	22%
Level 3	22,024	58%

There were 38,008 detainers where the available information recorded a conviction after the detainer was placed. Table 5 provides a breakdown of their "RC Threat Levels." Only 20 percent of these detainers had been classified as most serious (Level 1) while 58 percent were classified as least serious (Level 3). The data thus indicate that detainers are being issued in tens of thousands of cases for minor offenses where there is no prior history of serious criminal activity.
The data so far provided by the agency do not allow us to answer an important question: how often are detainers issued for a recent minor offense when the individual had been convicted of a serious crime in the past? For this TRAC would need information about the crime which had resulted in the arrest giving rise to the detainer. Unfortunately ICE has chosen not to release this information.

Table 6. Most Serious Conviction Occurs Before Detainer Placed

Number of Years Ago	Number	Percent
Total Convictions*	104,422	100%
Less than 1 year ago	19,602	19%
More than 1 year ago	84,820	81%
More than 5 years ago	50,787	49%
More than 10 years ago	24,045	23%
More than 20 years ago	4,154	4%

* Eliminates those estimated to be currently serving time in prison

Convictions before the detainer was placed. TRAC also wanted to know how often long-ago convictions were a basis for placing the detainer.[11] As shown in Table 6, about half (49%) of the most serious offenses were committed more than five years ago, and about one quarter (23%) more than 10 years ago. For more than four thousand (4%), the conviction occurred more than 20 years ago. And incredibly, there were a few where detainers involved convictions that were at least 40 years old.
Because ICE only released information on the most serious conviction, it is not possible to determine if that conviction was the only one or even the last one. But the data do show that it is common for the most serious conviction to have occurred many years prior to when ICE sought to take those individuals into custody and deport them.

Conclusion
As the old maxim says, actions speak louder than words. And in this case, the information about the nearly 350,000 detainers obtained and analyzed by TRAC present a reality entirely different from the one that the government has attempted to paint in its many official statements.

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Footnotes ^[1] According to ICE, the FY2012 - FY2013 records include all detainers that were issued during this period, including those issued by these ICE offices and divisions: "Detention and Deportation (DDP), Fugitive Operations (FUG), Alternatives to Detention (ATD), Criminal Alien Program (CAP), Detained Docket Control (DDC), Non-Detained Docket Control (NDD), Violent Criminal Alien Section (VCS), Joint Criminal Alien Response Team (JCT), Juvenile (JUV), and Law Enforcement Area Response (LEA)). All 287(g) detainers were also included.
^[2] The immigration "hold" is supposed to be limited to "48 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, beyond the time when the subject would otherwise been released from [...] custody" (see DHS Form I-247 and Figure 3).
^[3] See, for example: Santa Clara County; San Francisco County; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Newark; Chicago. See also: California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris' guidance on detainers and commentary by San Francisco district attorney George Gascón.
^[4] According to the accompanying memorandum issued by ICE Director John Morton, these revisions were made to provide a better mechanism to "ensure that ICE's finite enforcement resources are dedicated, to the greatest extent possible, to individuals whose removal promotes public safety, national security, border security, and the integrity of the immigration system."
^[5] TRAC has filed an administrative appeal contesting the failure to provide all of the data requested. The ICE appeals officer remanded the request back for reprocessing. However, the remand expressed no opinion and included no instructions on what about the agency's original response was deficient. TRAC is currently waiting for the results of this "reprocessing."
^[6] Illegal re-entry was separately listed. Only 0.3 percent had this as their most serious charge.
^[7] This figure includes all offenses ICE categorizes as a "Level 1" offense in its operational rules. Because TRAC did not have sentence information, broad categories like assault and larceny were all counted as Level 1 offenses, while ICE would exclude any of these where the sentence was less than one year. There were also a few offenses that ICE elevated to Level 1 based on their sentence which otherwise were classed by ICE as Level 2 or Level 3 offenses — the classification used by TRAC. All in all, while the 14 percent figure is not exact, it is likely higher than the actual number of "serious crimes" based upon ICE's definitions if full information had been available. For ICE's offense-by-offense classification rules, see Figure 6.
^[8] For example, there are reportedly over 100,000 noncitizens serving sentences in state and federal prisons on any day (see sourcebook of criminal justice statistics). Because this statistic does not cover noncitizens serving sentences in local jails, it underestimates the actual number of individuals that ICE prison programs handle.
^[9] When the same data are examined over time, the proportion showing any threat as well as the proportion in the Level 1 threat category both show slight declines. This could be simply a reporting artifact since classification is based upon convictions, and a greater proportion of charges may still be pending in more recent months.
^[10] The operational rules require that there be two convictions classified as "Level 2" to move the individual into the most serious Level 1 category. There are a number of crimes listed that are classed as Level 2 if they have sentences of less than one year. Also, a Level 3 offense where the recorded sentence is one year or more is upgraded to Level 2, and two of these then rates elevation to Level 1.
^[11] Because detainers are also placed on individuals who are currently serving a prison term to ensure that when the sentence is completed they are turned over to ICE rather than released into the community, we eliminated those records that contained an entry in a field labeled "projected release date." There were 44,735 records with projected release dates. Of these, 39,489 concerned convictions that occurred before the detainer was placed and were therefore eliminated from Table 6. This is presumably an undercount since ICE may not have recorded projected release dates for everyone who was in prison at the time.

Report date: September 17, 2013