Today, the Innovation Law Lab demanded the Trump Administration provide access to counsel and legal resources to immigrants being improperly and unjustly held at the federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon.
“Tragically, the Trump Administration continues to engage in its constitutionally-risky behavior regarding immigrants,” said Stephen Manning, the Law Lab’s executive director. “The practice of family separation must end.” Over 100 immigrants have been improperly transferred to a federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon. Among those transferred are parents who have been separated from their children as a result of the Trump Administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy.
The sharp increase in the number of immigrants incarcerated by ICE has led the federal agency to turn to the Bureau of Prisons for additional bed space. ICE intends to utilize federal prison facilities in Sheridan, Oregon; SeaTac, Washington; La Luna, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; and Victorville, California.
In a letter submitted to ICE and FCI Sheridan, the Innovation Law Lab stated: “Many, if not most, of these individuals may have legal remedies. The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as well as a host of statutes, regulations, and long-standing practice provides that these individuals are entitled to access counsel to understand their legal remedies and pursue the same.”
