Discusses the problem with detention of immigrants and calls for the development of alternatives to detention. The United States Catholic Bishops issued a statement “Welcoming the Stranger” which is intended to provide guidelines to parishes. It also called for reform of two laws passed in 1996 that require mandatory detention: the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and the Anti-Terrorism and Death Penalty Act. The Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. also issued a report taking the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to task for its failure to develop alternatives to detention. Because of the 1996 laws, the number of detained immigrants has tripled. The INS is unable to house all of them in its own facilities or in for-profit contract detention centers. Detention Watch Network, a coalition of immigrant lawyers and religious and social advocates, explored the pressing need for alternatives to detention and issued a report from its fourth annual conference. Three programs have successfully provided an alternative to detention: (1) the Catholic Charities program in New Orleans for “lifers” (i.e., indefinite detainees); (2) the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee program for asylum seekers, and (3) the Appearance Assistance Program, an INS program in conjunction with the Vera Institute of Justice, for asylum seekers, lifers, and undocumented workers arrested at work sites. Additionally, improvements have been made in access to legal counsel and pastoral services. (IP)
