Immigration Detention and the Law: U.S. Policy and Legal Framework

This Global Detention Project working paper is intended to assist scholars, activists, practitioners, and concerned members of the public in taking stock of the current state of U.S. immigration detention policies. The paper covers everything from the country’s relevant international legal commitments and the grounds for detention provided in domestic law, to recent court rulings on the rights of detainees and the increasing trend in criminalizing immigration violations, particularly at the state and local level.