Article: Immigration/Detention
Source: NorthJersey.com (The Record)
http://www.northjersey.com/news/206069191_More_immigrant_detainees_to_be_housed_in_Bergen_lockup.html?page=all
More immigrant detainees to be housed in Bergen lockup
THE RECORD
HACKENSACK — More immigrant detainees will be housed at the Bergen County Jail under an agreement that is projected to bring an additional $2.57 million to the county, said Richard Moriarty, spokesman for the sheriff.
The immigration detainees had been held in Monmouth and Sussex county facilities before they were transferred to the Hackensack jail more than a week ago, Moriarty said. The jail has contracted with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house 64 more detainees, he said, bringing the maximum total that can be held at the facility to 194. Currently, there are 163 detainees at the jail, he said.
The immigration detention program in Monmouth County shut down last month, which led ICE to find new housing.
"Due to operational needs, both the Monmouth County Jail and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mutually decided to end its agreement," said Lou Martinez, spokesman for ICE in New York. "In a cost effective move, ICE transferred some detainees to the Bergen County Jail."
Martinez declined to say how many transfers were made to the jail, and how many are being housed there from Monmouth currently. He said those numbers change constantly for multiple reasons, including bond eligibility and payment, routine custody determinations and the "physical removal of individuals from the United States."
It’s not clear why some immigrants held in Sussex County, which continues to house ICE detainees, were transferred to Bergen County. A call to Sussex County Undersheriff Homer Wanamaker was not returned Friday and Martinez said he could not speak to that situation.
The immigrant detainees, some taken into custody because of minor or old crimes, are held at the facilities awaiting court hearings to decide whether they will be able to stay in the United States or be deported. But in many cases, according to lawyers, advocates and critics of the immigrant detention system, detainees linger in custody for months and years before getting their due process.
Margaret White, a member of The Community of Friends in Action, a Leonia-based organization that works with day laborers, said she was disappointed to hear that Bergen County would house more detainees.
"We didn’t know where they were going to go from Monmouth, and we were hoping that they would start releasing people from all the detention facilities because there is no reason for them to be in them," White, of Teaneck, said on Friday.
"The Bergen County Jail doesn’t have much to say for itself," she added. "And the county only does it because it’s profitable."
Bergen County will receive $110 a day per detainee, Moriarty said. In 2012, the county was paid roughly $4,636,000 for housing detainees at the jail, he said.
The closing of the Monmouth County facility also spurred renewed calls to reduce the number of detention beds nationwide. Critics want an end to mandatory detention in favor of community-based supervision, which they say is less expensive and more humane.
"Being undocumented is not a criminal offense; it’s a civil offense, and they treat them just like criminals by putting them in a jail," said White, who noted she knows a detainee who had been held for more than a year. "Even if they have a minor offense, they have served their time, so it’s not like they are being punished for a crime they have done. They are just sitting there waiting for something to happen."
Karina Wilkinson, co-founder of the Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights, said her organization is calling for people who are unnecessarily detained to be released not only for economic reasons, but because it’s the humane and moral thing to do.
"We call for an end to the record number of detentions and deportations under Obama that have divided and devastated our families and communities," she said in a statement.
According to a 2011 report by Human Rights First, an independent advocacy organization, almost 400,000 detainees were held in jail or jail-like facilities across the country, at a cost of over $2 billion.
In February, the Obama administration drew criticism from proponents of mandatory detentions after officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the release of several hundred immigrant detainees from facilities across the country in anticipation of federal budget cuts. Those released, later revealed to be around 2,200, were described as non-criminal or low-risk offenders.
The move angered House Republicans who raised safety concerns, and questioned how officials were determining who should be released. They also accused the administration of releasing the detainees as a political ploy to satisfy immigration advocates.
The housing of detainees at the Bergen County jail dates back to the 1990s with an agreement between Bergen County and the U.S. Marshal Service, Moriarty said. In 2003, the county entered into an agreement with ICE similar to the one it currently has with the agency, he said.
Other facilities in New Jersey that hold immigrant detainees according to the ICE website are the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, the Elizabeth Detention Facility, theEssex County Correctional Facility and the Hudson County Correction Center.
Email: alvarado@northjersey.com
The immigration detainees had been held in Monmouth and Sussex county facilities before they were transferred to the Hackensack jail more than a week ago, Moriarty said. The jail has contracted with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house 64 more detainees, he said, bringing the maximum total that can be held at the facility to 194. Currently, there are 163 detainees at the jail, he said.
The immigration detention program in Monmouth County shut down last month, which led ICE to find new housing.
"Due to operational needs, both the Monmouth County Jail and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mutually decided to end its agreement," said Lou Martinez, spokesman for ICE in New York. "In a cost effective move, ICE transferred some detainees to the Bergen County Jail."
Martinez declined to say how many transfers were made to the jail, and how many are being housed there from Monmouth currently. He said those numbers change constantly for multiple reasons, including bond eligibility and payment, routine custody determinations and the "physical removal of individuals from the United States."
It’s not clear why some immigrants held in Sussex County, which continues to house ICE detainees, were transferred to Bergen County. A call to Sussex County Undersheriff Homer Wanamaker was not returned Friday and Martinez said he could not speak to that situation.
The immigrant detainees, some taken into custody because of minor or old crimes, are held at the facilities awaiting court hearings to decide whether they will be able to stay in the United States or be deported. But in many cases, according to lawyers, advocates and critics of the immigrant detention system, detainees linger in custody for months and years before getting their due process.
Margaret White, a member of The Community of Friends in Action, a Leonia-based organization that works with day laborers, said she was disappointed to hear that Bergen County would house more detainees.
"We didn’t know where they were going to go from Monmouth, and we were hoping that they would start releasing people from all the detention facilities because there is no reason for them to be in them," White, of Teaneck, said on Friday.
"The Bergen County Jail doesn’t have much to say for itself," she added. "And the county only does it because it’s profitable."
Bergen County will receive $110 a day per detainee, Moriarty said. In 2012, the county was paid roughly $4,636,000 for housing detainees at the jail, he said.
Calls for alternatives
The closing of the Monmouth County facility also spurred renewed calls to reduce the number of detention beds nationwide. Critics want an end to mandatory detention in favor of community-based supervision, which they say is less expensive and more humane.
"Being undocumented is not a criminal offense; it’s a civil offense, and they treat them just like criminals by putting them in a jail," said White, who noted she knows a detainee who had been held for more than a year. "Even if they have a minor offense, they have served their time, so it’s not like they are being punished for a crime they have done. They are just sitting there waiting for something to happen."
Karina Wilkinson, co-founder of the Monmouth County Coalition for Immigrant Rights, said her organization is calling for people who are unnecessarily detained to be released not only for economic reasons, but because it’s the humane and moral thing to do.
"We call for an end to the record number of detentions and deportations under Obama that have divided and devastated our families and communities," she said in a statement.
According to a 2011 report by Human Rights First, an independent advocacy organization, almost 400,000 detainees were held in jail or jail-like facilities across the country, at a cost of over $2 billion.
In February, the Obama administration drew criticism from proponents of mandatory detentions after officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the release of several hundred immigrant detainees from facilities across the country in anticipation of federal budget cuts. Those released, later revealed to be around 2,200, were described as non-criminal or low-risk offenders.
The move angered House Republicans who raised safety concerns, and questioned how officials were determining who should be released. They also accused the administration of releasing the detainees as a political ploy to satisfy immigration advocates.
The housing of detainees at the Bergen County jail dates back to the 1990s with an agreement between Bergen County and the U.S. Marshal Service, Moriarty said. In 2003, the county entered into an agreement with ICE similar to the one it currently has with the agency, he said.
Other facilities in New Jersey that hold immigrant detainees according to the ICE website are the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, the Elizabeth Detention Facility, theEssex County Correctional Facility and the Hudson County Correction Center.
Email: alvarado@northjersey.com
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