Immigration in Europe - HumanitarianNet - Universidad de Deusto

FRAMING THE ISSUES AND MEETING THE CHALLENGES... 37protection of immigrants’ rights in the United States. The NGO communityworked closely with the INS in the early 1990s on a major reform andoverhaul of the asylum system. This collaboration resulted in the creationof much improved policies, laws and regulations to protect the rightsof refugees and asylum seekers in the United States. In fact, manyNGO representatives involved in the asylum reform process later werehired by the INS as asylum officers within its Asylum Offices across thecountry.The NGO community and the INS worked together to draft andpublish Detention Standards governing the treatment of INS detaineesin prisons and detention centres across the country pending theoutcome of their deportation cases. At the request of the INS, severalNGOs developed “Know Your Rights” programmes which provideinformation to INS detainees regarding their rights to remain in theUnited States, including providing pro bono representation to detainees.In a joint collaboration between the Board of Immigration Appeals —theimmigration appellate authority which decides appeals from localimmigration court decisions— and the NGO community, a Pro BonoProject was created to provide free representation to INS detaineesaround the country in appeals of their cases. These are a few examplesof the many collaborative efforts which have resulted from strong andunified lobbying by NGOs across the United States.Unfortunately, since John Ashcroft has been named AttorneyGeneral, the relationship between the NGO community and the INS(which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Department ofJustice) has become somewhat strained. Attorney General Ashcroft hastaken the lead in promoting secretive immigration policies, has draftedregulations authorising secret deportation hearings, has stripped theadministrative appellate body in charge of immigration related appeals—the Board of Immigration Appeals— of much of its authority and hasgenerally promoted the restriction of immigrant rights after September11, 2001. 4 In response to these attacks on immigrants’ rights, NGOshave filed litigation seeking open hearings and challenging newrestrictions on the rights of immigrants. They have also developedmedia campaigns to publicise and report on what is happening to4For more information on actions by US government agencies relating to immigrationsince September 11, 2001, visit the American Immigration Law Foundation website athttp://www.ailf.org. Click on the Legal Action Center to access Post September 11 LegalResources which lists Executive Branch Actions since September 11, 2001. This listincludes all the initiatives taken by Attorney General John Ashcroft restricting immigrantrights in the United States.