Unseen Prisoners: A Report on Women in Immigration Detention Facilities in Arizona

Abstract

This report, released by the Southwest Institute for Research on Women and the Bacon Immigration Law and Policy Program at the University of Arizona, describes harsh conditions of confinement for the roughly three hundred women housed in immigration detention facilities in Arizona. It is based on over a year of research, including over 40 interviews with detainees, their family members, attorneys, and service providers. The report's findings highlight the impact of detention on families, including U.S. citizen children, the severe penal conditions imposed on women who are not serving criminal sentences, the aggressive government prosecution and detention of women who pose no security threat or flight risk, and the provision of inadequate medical care, particularly gynecological and obstetrical care, in response to women's health needs. The report contains detailed recommendations for Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the individual facilities researched. Recommendations range from broad policy changes, including the need for increased consideration of the impact of immigration detention on families, to specific facility-level concerns, such as the lack of outdoor recreation in Pinal County Jail.

Keywords: immigration, detention, women, Arizona