Mass. ACLU blasts detainees' treatment

BOSTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Most illegal immigrants detained in Massachusetts are non-violent offenders often subjected to harsh conditions and official neglect, civil libertarians say.

The American Civil Liberties Union says its research of conditions for 800 immigrants housed in county jails revealed inadequate medical care, harassment, overcrowding, as well as neglect and failure to oversee the detainees' conditions, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

The ACLU says it interviewed 40 detainees and corresponded with more than 30 others, spoke with dozens of advocates and lawyers and reviewed hundreds of government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

"There's no one watching over them, so there's no real incentive to make sure that the immigration detainees' rights are protected," said Laura Rotolo, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts and the lead researcher of the 22-month investigation. "They are not protecting people's fundamental rights."

"We take all allegations about conditions of confinement very seriously," ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier told the Globe, saying the agency follows federal guidelines to ensure that immigrants are treated humanely.