Legal Momentum Condemns Reported Sexual Assault of Immigrant Women in Detention

Immigration and Customs Enforcement must protect detainees, and adopt risk assessment protocols to identify victims of crime

New York (June 1, 2010) -

Legal Momentum, the women’s legal defense and education fund, expresses deep concern over recent reports on sexual assault by a guard at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.  Reports recently began to surface of alleged sexual assault on women detainees by a guard employed by Corrections Corporation of America, a private for-profit prison management company that operates the facility under contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The guard, who was working at T. Don Hutto Detention Facility in Taylor, Texas allegedly groped female detainees and propositioned them for sex. 

 

“This incident only reflects the greater need for improved detention standards at ICE detention facilities,” said Irasema Garza, President of Legal Momentum.  “Sexual assault is a constant risk for undocumented women attempting to enter the United States with the ‘help’ of smugglers and others who take advantage of their situation. For them then to be subject to sexual assault in detention by government employees or contractors is deeply disturbing.  While this is not the first report of sexual assault in a detention facility, we know that these reports only scratch the surface.  Immigrant women are systematically scared to report crimes to law enforcement, particularly if they view the perpetrator as a government representative.”  

 

Legal Momentum has long advocated for the implementation of a risk assessment protocol which would identify vulnerable immigrants, including victims of sexual assault. Today’s reports clearly demonstrated that implementation of such a tool is dangerously overdue.

 

Immigrant women fear reporting sexual assault for a multitude of reasons, which are only compounded by the fear of immigration enforcement officers.  Practicing a risk assessment protocol and training detention and agency staff on crime victim immigration relief like the U-visa will encourage more women to report these crimes.  Such steps will ensure that ICE is able to properly investigate government contractors committing such egregious crimes and allow immigrant crime victims to pursue an alternative to detention.       

 

 About Legal Momentum: Founded in 1970, Legal Momentum, the women's legal defense and education fund, is dedicated to advancing the rights and personal and economic security of all women and girls. www.legalmomentum.org

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