As in most other states, New Jersey has numerous facilities filled to the brim with people accused of committing crimes. In many cases, those accused are immigrants who supposedly violated U.S. immigration law. The problem is that many immigrants say they are not being provided the same legal protections that others who are incarcerated are regularly afforded.

Anyone facing detention in the United States is guaranteed the right to speedy trial and also protection from cruel or unusual punishment. However, many immigrants report that not only are they being held for great lengths of time, but they are also suffering human rights violations at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Such violations are said to include physical and sexual abuse, as well as substandard medical care.

One man said he requested asylum when he arrived in the United States. He was shocked when instead of receiving the assistance he thought he would get, he was placed in detention for five months. He said he had never been to jail before and would have rather returned to his country of origin than get locked up in this country.

One immigrant advocate said that when a man or woman poses no flight risk and has proved that he or she has a place to go, there is no reason to keep him or her in immigration detention. Some say extended detentions and cutbacks in basic care provisions increases profit margins in privately run detention facilities. Anyone in need of legal guidance or support in New Jersey regarding such topics, can request a meeting with an experienced immigration law attorney.