U.S. Immigrant Detention System Flawed, Report Claims

Immigrant advocacy groups are arguing that the current immigrant detention system in the U.S. is rife with violations of federal guidelines on the treatment of detainees, despite promises from the Obama Administration to improve it.

A daylong conference on the issue took place Friday at Rutgers University in Newark.

Law students at New York University and a coalition of immigration rights groups have presented a study arguing New Jersey's largest immigrant detention facility commits violations on the treatment of detainees.

Officials who oversee the detention center in Essex County have insisted they follow the federal guidelines.

The Rutgers conference discussed topics including what one researcher says are more than 5,000 children that have been placed in foster care since their immigrant parents were placed in detention.

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