AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT BLASTS INS FOR TREATMENT OF DETAINEES

Philip S. Anderson, the outgoing president of the American Bar Association, said during a speech at the annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia, that the INS has failed to uphold its promise to extend access to justice to immigrant detainees. For two years Anderson has been meeting with officials from INS, the Justice Department and the White House, trying to ensure that detained people have access to justice.

The INS did implement standards for facilities it runs, standards that include access to a lawyer, legal materials and a telephone. However, it has not extended the same policy to detention centers it does not control, a promise it made to Anderson two years ago. Well over 60% of INS detainees are held in facilities the INS does not control.

Anderson also criticized Congress for the 1996 immigration laws, saying that the laws eliminated due process – one’s day in court – from immigration proceedings.

Anderson has made immigration issues a cornerstone in his administration’s legislative goals. Anderson has not been afraid to confront anti-immigration advocates. This past spring, for example, Anderson and House Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) engaged in a public debate in the editorial pages of major newspapers.

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