Civilrights.org

"In its efforts to control immigration, the U.S. government has sharpened the teeth of an already tough 1996 law that made it much easier for the government to deport non-U.S. citizens. That law, and the modifications to it since September 11, are the subject of this meticulously researched report by the American Bar Association and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund. The cases presented here should be read carefully by anyone with a serious interest in immigration and civil rights in the United States. They are compelling and worrisome.

Government bureaucracies tasked with controlling immigration are severely
overburdened in the best of times - and only more so at a time of great national pain, when so much is being asked of them. But the cases detailed here seem, sadly, not to be freakish exceptions but rather the logical results of increased enforcement. They are also cautionary tales of how well-meaning laws can have unintended consequences. It is painful to read some of them and realize that the cruelty and indifference inflicted upon these men, women, and children was carried out by officials with the American flag sewn into their uniform.

Keeping the United States safe and guarding against those who would do it harm is a sacred trust of our government. But an equally noble responsibility is civil society's duty to monitor the government's performance, and to demand that it keep its commitment to fairness and justice for all. American Justice Through Immigrants' Eyes is an admirable and compelling fulfillment of that duty."

Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan
Mexico City, March 2004

Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan are Foreign Correspondents for the Washington Post, and winners of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.