TACOMA, Wash. — The death of an asylum seeker in custody at the Northwest Detention Center has ignited concerns about immigrant-detention facilities across the nation.

Russian asylum seeker Mergensana Amar died last week at a hospital in Tacoma, where he had been on life support after a suicide attempt. Amar had been in federal immigration custody since December 2017, at one point holding a two-month hunger strike over conditions at the facility. He was denied asylum status in August.

Members of Washington's congressional delegation are calling for a federal investigation into Amar’s death. Rep. Adam Smith said there are many concerns over the Tacoma facility, including the quality of food and health care, that raise flags about detention for him and his colleagues.

"Does that really make sense to detain someone who poses no threat to the community? So we have been pushing very hard for alternatives to detention,” Smith said.

The Northwest Detention Center is run by the private company GEO Group. Smith said he and his colleagues are calling for an investigation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General.

In September, the Inspector General concluded a California immigration center run by GEO Group where a man killed himself last year posed "significant health and safety risks." Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it will launch a thorough investigation into Amar's death to ensure agency protocols were followed.

Maru Mora Villalpando is lead organizer of Northwest Detention Center Resistance, which had been in contact with Amar and held a demonstration and vigil for him at the facility over the weekend. She said the best way to honor him is to continue to shine a light on conditions in these facilities.

"We want to make sure that Amar is the last person that dies in detention,” Villalpando said. “We don't want anybody else to die - not in Tacoma, not in any other center that exists in the nation right now for immigrants. We want to make sure that this is the last death under ICE custody."

Twelve people died while in ICE custody during fiscal year 2017, the most since 2009. Smith said the number of people who have died, as well as those staging hunger strikes against poor conditions, are putting these facilities under intense scrutiny.

"There is pressure coming from the media, coming from members of Congress and coming from advocacy groups,” he said. “The question is, will the executive branch, which ultimately has authority over these detention facilities right now, respond to that pressure and take steps to improve conditions?"


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Advocates for immigrants are pushing back on a bill signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in the last few days of the legislative session, modeled on a recent, controversial Texas law.

Senate File 2340 gives local law enforcement officers and judges the authority to deport undocumented immigrants.

Erica Johnson, executive director of the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, argued the bill is an overreach, and said Iowa law enforcement officers are not authorized to enforce it.

"This is a pretty clear intervention into federal territory," Johnson pointed out. "U.S. immigration law is governed by federal law."

Much like the author of the Texas bill, supporters in Iowa blame the Biden administration for failing to slow illegal immigration, so the state has decided to take matters into its own hands.

Johnson contended the bill and other anti-immigrant sentiment during the just-completed legislative session target the very people Iowa, with its dwindling population, will depend on for its future workforce.

"What we need is communities that are safe, where workers have access to dignified, safe workplaces," Johnson emphasized. "The truth of what Iowa's future could be depends on immigrants and immigrant workers in our state, and unfortunately, this law could take us back, away from that possible future. "

Johnson added her organization will pursue legal ways to block the bill from taking effect in July.


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The future of Senate Bill 4 is still tangled in court challenges. It's the Texas law that would allow police to arrest people for illegally crossing the border. But groups are speaking out about the impact of "Operation Lone Star" on the youngest migrants. Governor Greg Abbott continues to bus migrant families to other states, many with young children - more than 100,000 families so far.

Robert Sanborn, CEO of Children at Risk, works to improve the quality of life for boys and girls in Texas, and contends the policy has put trauma on top of trauma.

"We never want children to be political pawns. We don't want maximum chaos on the backs of children. We want children to grow up and be assets for our community," he contended.

Sanborn points out that 2.2 million children in Texas are immigrants, and said it would be less stressful for kids if families were not bused in the middle of the night, and if they were allowed to pick their destination.

When immigrants arrive at the border, they are evaluated to determine if they're eligible for asylum.

Beatriz Zavala, clinical coordinator at El Paso-based Humanitarian Outreach for Migrant Emotional Health, or "HOME," said the children in this situation are at higher risk for mental health disorders.

"What is particularly troubling is the profound disregard for the stability and protection these families need. The impact on their mental health is undeniable. These are not just statistics. These are children, real children," she said.

As part of Operation Lone Star, families have been bused to Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The governor has said the practice is needed to keep the Texas-Mexico border safe.


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Legislation in Albany would create the first right to counsel for people in immigration court.

The Access to Representation Act would provide immigrants the right to an attorney in their New York immigration cases, ending the tendency to represent themselves if they cannot afford one.

Estimates show a backlog of more than 330,000 immigration court cases, and fewer than half have attorneys. Studies show without legal counsel, migrants are less likely to remain in the U.S.

Marlene Galaz, director of immigrant rights policy for the New York Immigration Coalition, described what the bill would do.

"It has a six-year ramp-up to start implementing and building infrastructure," Galaz outlined. "Having a pipeline between law schools for law students to go into immigration practice, and getting to nonprofits and so on."

Galaz noted most opposition centers around the $150 million to fund the program but pointed out the total expenditure is less than 1% of the state's $229 billion budget. She added anti-immigrant rhetoric has also damaged support for the bill. Currently, it is in the state Senate Finance Committee.

The New York City Comptroller's office said enacting the bill would benefit the state financially. It could keep about 53,000 people from being deported, which would result in almost $8.5 billion in local, state and federal taxes over the next 30 years.

Galaz emphasized the influx of migrants has saturated the court system, leading to what could have been an avoidable backlog.

"I firmly believe that if these investments had been made when we first asked for them, I believe, like, three years ago, then we wouldn't be struggling," Galaz contended. "We would have had the infrastructure built to address an increase in welcoming our newest neighbors."

A Vera Institute survey showed 93% of New Yorkers across party lines and regions support access to attorneys for all people, including those in immigration court, and government-funded attorneys for them.


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