From the Opposition: Undocumented Activists Infiltrate Florida Detention Facility

[Borderwatch]

Undocumented Activists Infiltrate Florida Detention Facility

A group of undocumented immigrant activists say they have infiltrated a detention facility in Broward, Florida, and found dozens of immigrants there who should be released under the Obama administration’s policies. Seven organizers with the National Immigrant Youth Alliance allowed themselves to be placed in deportation proceedings in order to organize with detainees at the Broward Detention Center.

The group said they found more than 60 detainees with no criminal record or prior deportations, some of whom were detained as passengers in vehicles. They also found detainees in need of immediate medical care, including one with a blood clot in his leg and another with a bullet in the spine. Despite an executive action announced by President Obama last month to stop deportations of many undocumented youth, the group said they found more than a dozen young detainees who would qualify for the DREAM Act, a legislative proposal granting residency to certain youth who entered the country as minors.

Obama administration officials had promised to comb through backlogged cases to close those involving immigrants with no criminal records and strong family ties, but fewer than 2 percent of deportation cases have been closed under the review.