TexasAppleseed.net

Project Timeline

CURRENT / ONGOING:  The U.S. Justice Department and Immigration Customs Enforcement are reviewing the following major recommendations in the Texas Appleseed report:

• Place immigrants with mental disabilities in the least restrictive setting while their immigration status is adjudicated.

• Provide appropriate mental health diagnosis and care in immigration detention.

• Move to an electronic medical records system to reduce medical error and improve prompt access to critical health information in the immigration process.

• Adopt consistent immigration court procedures to recognize and accommodate people with mental disabilities.

• Develop clear procedures to ensure safe domestic release or repatriation of immigrants with mental disabilities.

June 14, 2011:  Texas Appleseed and more than two dozen advocacy groups signed a letter to the Office of Inspector General in support of the OIG report on the need to improve management of mental health cases in immigration detention.

Letter 6.14.2011

June 2010:  Texas Appleseed holds four immigration judge and attorney trainings on issues related to immigrants with mental disabilities in immigration detention and court proceedings.

March 30, 2010:  Texas Appleseed releases its immigration report findings.

Justice for Immigration's Hidden Population (March 2010) 

July 24, 2009  Texas Appleseed joins with about 70 community organizations, attorneys, mental health professionals, and physicians in signing a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder advocating changes in the immigration court system to provide reasonable accommodations for people with mental disabilities.

AG Eric Holder Letter

Summary Reform Proposals in Holder Letter

May 2009  The national Appleseed office and Chicago Appleseed publish a comprehensive assessment of the nation's Immigration Court system—recommending reforms to address an over-reliance on video conferencing as a substitute for in-person court proceedings, inadequate access to court records, ineffective translation services, and difficulty securing adequate representation for detainees.  Appleseed Centers in Texas and other states participated in this report.

Assembly Line Injustice

Key Findings

Texas Appleseed project