WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. citizens who are mistakenly accused of
being illegal immigrants may find they're not considered innocent
until proven guilty.
In a drive to crack down on illegal immigrants, the United
States has locked up or thrown out dozens, probably many more, of
its own citizens over the past eight years. A month’s long AP
investigation has documented 55 such cases.
Those who go through the immigration legal system can be
arrested without a warrant. They are not read their rights unless
it's a criminal case. They do not get a lawyer unless they can pay
or find one who will work for free. They can be deported without
hearings. And until this January, they didn't get a free phone
call.
An official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement says his
agency does not keep track of how many citizenship claims it
receives, or how many turn out to be valid. But, he says,
authorities need to be careful about determining citizenship.
