ACLU Sues ICE Over Unlawful Deportation of Mentally Ill Detainee
Legal Services E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Elise Foley
Source: Washington Independent, “Lawsuit Claims ICE Deported Mentally Ill Citizen"
Date: October 14, 2010
The Washington Independent writes: “The ACLU is accusing immigration authorities of disregarding the rights of the mentally ill in a lawsuit filed Wednesday alleging Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrongfully deported a U.S. citizen to Mexico. The man, Mark Lyttle, spoke no Spanish and is actually of Puerto Rican descent, but reportedly caught the attention of ICE when he told prison officials he was born in Mexico. Although Lyttle provided ICE with his Social Security number and the names of his parents, his lawyers claim immigration officials manipulated him into eventually signing documents that allowed him to be deported. The ACLU says Lyttle’s story is one of many instances of the detention system failing to provide additional aid for mentally ill detainees, who it says can often sign away their rights without realizing what they are doing. Human rights organizations argue that abuses within the immigration detention system are particularly difficult to track because victims are eventually deported and have little access to legal aid.”