May Reading

By LA-AID

We appreciated this piece on statelessness in the US, from the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the Tulane Immigrant Rights Clinic has produced a report on immigration detention in Louisiana that we are dying to see.

“The report, titled No End in Sight: Prolonged and Punitive Immigration Detention in Louisiana, is the result of a year of research analyzing the 499 Louisiana habeas cases filed in federal court from 2010 to 2020. Researchers found that by the time that detained immigrants filed habeas petitions in court, they have typically already endured nearly one year and one month of detention. On average, the cases last a further six months, during which the immigrant is still held in confinement. Researchers also found serious challenges for detainees to access lawyers to represent them in their habeas case, with 85% of detained immigrants filing their cases without legal representation. Lastly, they found disturbing racial disparities, with Black immigrants representing more than half of detained immigrants filing habeas petitions. The researchers offer recommendations to the Court, immigration authorities, and advocates to reduce potentially unconstitutional detention and promote transparent, efficient, and reasoned adjudication.”