Immigration Judge: Immigration Violations

immigration judge: People routinely languish in detention for two months or longer before they see a judge, according to lawsuit, calling the wait excessive and a violation of constitutional rights for people in custody, according to Metro News. The first hearing before an immigration judge, like first appearance in criminal court, is critical to ensuring due process, it says. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court on behalf of three Mexicans at a San Diego immigration detention centre but the ACLU asks to represent all people who are held on immigration violations along California's border with Mexico who are held for more than 48 hours. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration detention facilities, declined to comment on pending litigation, as did the Executive Office for Immigration Review, a part of the U.S. Justice Department that oversees immigration judges. Under a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision, immigrants who are ordered deported cannot be held indefinitely. The lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump moves to significantly expand border and immigration enforcement, which will further strain already stretched detention centres and courts unless Congress provides more money. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.