Some immigrants who are targeted for deportation are held in detention centers. Federal officials frequently detain immigrants who are caught crossing the border illegally. As many Maryland residents know the beginning of January, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun a series of immigration raids and detentions that are purportedly aimed at deterring U.S. border crossings by Central American immigrants.
One of the immigrants who was detained in a January raid was a 27-year-old mother of two from El Salvador. The woman suffers from a medical condition that causes her to have seizures, and her condition worsened while she was being held in custody. While she was at the Dilley family detention center in Texas, the woman had seven seizures. A doctor who examined her said that her seizures were brought on by stress and anxiety. The woman was freed on Feb. 5 after her case caught the attention of immigration advocates.
Critics of the recent immigration raids have said that the raids unfairly target people with legitimate asylum cases. U.S. government officials admit that El Salvador is one of the world’s most dangerous countries. In a letter to President Obama, the mother of two who was held in detention in Texas said that people like her should be allowed to fight their asylum cases outside with dignity.
Not everyone who is facing deportation proceedings is held in a detention center. People who are seeking asylum may be less likely to spend time in a detention facility if they have the assistance of an attorney who has this type of immigration law experience.