The "Right" of Return
The illegals are pouring in over the border fence to take your jobs and get free taxpayer funded lawyers.
Homeland security officials will not use threats and intimidation against immigrants facing possible deportation, and will allow some — perhaps thousands — with ties to Southern California to return under an agreement announced Wednesday.
The government admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, which came in response to an ACLU lawsuit filed last year, but it agreed to take several measures to protect migrants' rights.
The agreement covers only Southern California, but some of the reforms in the deportation process are likely to be adopted nationwide, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said reports the Los Angeles Times.
It was unclear how many people might be allowed to return under the agreement, but advocates estimated that it would be a small fraction of the 250,000 deported voluntarily from Southern California between 2009 and 2013, the period covered in the lawsuit.
Although critics called Wednesday's announcement yet another Obama administration move to mollify immigrant advocates at the expense of border security, American Civil Liberties Union leaders said the changes would result in a fair process that protects immigrants' rights.
"This is a historic settlement that will end a practice that tears families apart," said Norma Chavez Peterson, executive director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial counties.
In its lawsuit, the group alleged that federal agents in recent years had turned to intimidation, threats and misinformation to persuade immigrants in this country illegally to agree to voluntary deportation.
Many deportees were longtime California residents with no serious criminal records who didn't know that they could challenge their deportations in court, according to the lawsuit.
Among the reforms the settlement requires: Federal agents will be prohibited from using threats or pressure. They must advise people of their right to a hearing and provide them access to an informational hot line and a list of free legal service providers.
The settlement also calls for the United States to launch an outreach effort through Mexican media, aimed at informing deportees that they may be eligible to return if they are part of the settlement class.
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