A Step in the Right Direction, DHS Detention Policies to Change

America's Voice Blog

Posted 08/06/09 at 02:52pm

Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced changes to detention policies that have been in place since 2006. According to the New York Times:

"Details are sketchy, and even the first steps will take months or years to complete. They include reviewing the federal government's contracts with more than 350 local jails and private prisons, with an eye toward consolidating many detainees in places more suitable for noncriminals facing deportation - some possibly in centers built and run by the government."

Detention standards are often disturbing, and the skepticism felt by some folks is understandable. The news comes shortly after the launch of the Enough! campaign, an initiative that calls for the DHS to correct the unacceptable conditions for immigrants and asylum-seekers in the expanding immigrant detention system.

However, as little as these changes may be, they are, at the very least, a step in the right direction.

We hope and expect that Secretary Napolitano will take the lead in correcting the wrongs from the Bush Administration, including the failed detention system and home raids, and in addition will focus on comprehensive immigration reform. The announcement today shows the need for creating a more rational policy on detention, and the need for DHS and Congress to work on a workable solution to our immigration policy that is good for our country, our security and reflects our American values.