Federal officials have suspended volunteer visitation programs at immigration facilities in Southern California. The government says that they took this action because they needed to protect the privacy of detainees in the centers. Still, the action sparked an outcry from civil liberties groups who say that the move isolates detainees from their families without access to legal assistance.

Volunteers who meet regularly with detainees at facilities in both Orange County and San Bernardino say that they were notified by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials that the programs were being suspended. The action took place on July 24^th. The ICE claims that the suspended the visitations because some of the groups were bypassing standards that were put in place to protect the privacy of the detainees. She claims that the groups will be allowed to resume their programs as long as they agree to follow the agencies privacy policies at some point in the future.

The suspension comes in the midst of a full-scale expansion of the detention centers. It also comes after one bold journalist wrote a revealing article for The Huffington Post regarding the mistreatment of lesbian, gay, and transgender individuals in the Santa Ana Jail. The author was an attorney who represents dozens of the visitation groups. She alleged that some transgender inmates were being delayed access to their hormone treatments and were being ridiculed in their cells.

The author was reprimanded for her article and told that if she visited the facilities to write she would need to go as a media representative and give the intention to publish stories. She was also told that she would need to obtain a signed consent form from every detainee she interviewed as a formality. The executive associated director for enforcement and removal operations at the ICE writes that the department wants to promote transparency but also wants to make sure that all detainees' information remains respected and safeguarded.

Some attorneys have an issue with the ICE's decision to close off visitor groups, saying that they violated freedom of speech laws when they made this decision. A news report released by the ACLU of Southern California reports that the suspensions give the clear appearance that the ICE is trying to silence its critics and shield the public's awareness from the conditions in the detention centers. The immigration detention system has grown rapidly in recent years, and there are now about 34,000 detainees spread across 250 jails, private prisons, and detention facilities throughout the country.

President Obama vowed to overhaul the detention system with greater federal oversight so as to improve the conditions of these centers. Some immigrants' rights advocates say that the reforms haven't gone far enough. In the Huffington Post article, an immigration reform activist wrote that workers in the ward reserved for gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual immigrants weren't properly trained to interact with those they were working with.

The ICE refuted claims that the wardens were rejecting LGBT immigrant's pleas for hormone therapy and being teased. If you are an immigrant who has been sent to a detention center, and you need assistance with deportation defense or want to take action against your incarceration, then you need to talk to an attorney at the firm today. With the right lawyer on your side, you will be able to discuss your concerns and take legal action to try and seek permanent residency. With help from a local immigration lawyer you may be able to avoid the detention centers! Use this directory to locate an immigration lawyer who is near you and can assist you in your case today!