US: More deaths in detention

In response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed Tuesday that the government had failed to disclose 11 more deaths in immigration detention facilities. In April, Homeland Security (DHS) officials released what they called a comprehensive list of all deaths in detention. That list included a total of 90 individuals. With Tuesday's announcement, the government has now admitted to a total of 104 in-custody deaths since fiscal year 2003. But the ACLU is continuing to express doubt that they now have a complete tally of those who have died while in immigration custody. David Shapiro, staff attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project, told IPS, "Even after the government's announcement yesterday we still can have no real confidence that each and every death has been accounted for." Noting that the government announced last week what it called sweeping plans to overhaul the immigration detention system, Shapiro added, "No overhaul can be complete without intentional efforts being made to infuse accountability and transparency into the system."