Despite several reports over the past four years on the United States government's failure to meet its own commitments concerning the detention of asylum seekers, the conditions under which asylum seekers are held continue to fall far short of international standards. This briefing will discuss a new report by Human Rights First, which documents the escalation of prison-like detention facilities, the high costs of detaining asylum seekers in such facilities, and their impact on asylum seekers. It also details the policies and practices of the US Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that have perpetuated the ongoing abuses, and presents recommendations on how the new administration can remedy them.

Speaker: Eleanor Acer, Director of the Refugee Protection Program, Human Rights First

Michael Cromartie, Vice Chair, US Commission on International Religious Freedom

James Ziglar, Sr., former Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; Senior Counsel, Van Ness Feldman, PC; and MPI Senior Fellow

Moderator: Kathleen Newland, Director of the Migrants, Migration, and Development, and Refugee Policy Program, MPI

Speakers will present and comment on the report and related issues and on the response of the Department of Homeland Security going back to 2005. Coffee and refreshments will be served.

If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Dixon via email at events@migrationpolicy.org or by phone at (202) 266-1929.