39 LONG-TERM DETAINEES RELEASED IN FLORIDA

Following through on a commitment made in early May, the INS has released 39 people who had been in long-term INS detention in Florida. Most of those released were Cubans, but other nationalities were represented.

The commitment reflects a new policy that was adopted by the INS in the wake of was forced on the INS in the wake of a 47 day long hunger strike by a group of Cuban women protesting the indefinite detention of their sons. The INS has identified 439 long-term detainees in Florida whose cases merit review for release. One hundred twenty-three cases have already been reviewed, resulting in 84 denials and 39 releases. The INS hopes to have reviewed 246 cases by the end of July.

Factors the INS considers in making the release decision include the nature of the original criminal offense, the alien’s behavior since then, how long they had served in detention, and the chance that they might be a danger to the community if released. Advocates praise the INS for reviewing these cases, but wold like to see more standardized procedures, especially to let the detainees know why release was denied, so they may be better prepared to qualify in future reviews.

Long-term detention is a result of the 1996 immigration law, which requires the indefinite detention of deportable criminal aliens whose home countries will not take them back. Most of the people who are detained in this manner are Cubans, but Cambodians, Vietnamese, Laotians and nationals of the former Soviet Union are also affected.

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