Stacy Brustin, Professor Emerita and Director of the Immigration Law & Policy Initiative at Catholic Law, recently authored an Op-ed featured in Newsweek. Titled "The Dire Conditions of New Mexico's Immigration Detention Facilities and the Dismantling of Humanitarian Release," the piece reflects on a recent trip undertaken by Professor Brustin and Professor Jocelyn Dyer. Accompanied by a group of law students from Catholic Law, they traveled to Albuquerque and El Paso to provide pro bono legal support alongside the dedicated advocates at the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center.
Click here to read the Op-ed.
Newsweek
The Dire Conditions of New Mexico's Immigration Detention Facilities and the Dismantling of Humanitarian Release | Opinion
Published Apr 30, 2025
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The Immigration and Nationality Act and federal regulations authorize ICE officials to temporarily release individuals when there are humanitarian reasons to do so, or when it would be in the public interest. The person must not be a danger to the community and must be likely to appear for upcoming hearings. ICE can use alternatives to detention such as required check-ins and tracking devices to ensure compliance. Federal law and ICE's own policy specifically mention urgent medical needs as a reason for granting parole, so we were particularly confident that those with threatening medical conditions would quickly be released. We were wrong.
We worked with clients who met the key requirements: 1) asylum officers had already determined they had a credible fear of persecution in their home countries and right to a full hearing, giving them a strong incentive to appear in immigration court, 2) they had no criminal histories so posed no danger, 3) they had a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident sponsor agreeing to support them, and 4) several suffered from serious medical conditions requiring immediate treatment.
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