Ins Detention Facilities

Michael Welch

INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) detention facilities hold non–U.S. citizens who have been convicted or accused of crime and are awaiting either trial or deportation. Since the 1990s, few federal agencies have grown more rapidly and become more controversial than the INS. With its new and expansive powers aimed at controlling illegal immigration, the INS has stepped up its commitment to detentions and deportations. Proponents of tough law-and-order tactics praise the INS for its campaign to rid the nation of criminal aliens; however, immigration advocates argue that the laws unfairly target immigrants who have had minor brushes with the law. Under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, numerous crimes were reclassified as aggravated felonies requiring detention and possibly deportation, including minor misdemeanors such as shoplifting and low-level drug violations (also see the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act). Compounding the harshness of the revised statutes, enforcement ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.