Border Rights

The ACLU is working to ensure detention conditions satisfy basic constitutional requirements, and that the agency treats all detainees with dignity and respect.

Generic issue area image

Every year, Border Patrol detains tens of thousands of men, women, and children in its notorious “hieleras” (Spanish for “iceboxes”), where detainees are packed into freezing, dirty, and overcrowded cells, denied basic necessities, and held incommunicado for days at a time. The ACLU is working to ensure detention conditions satisfy basic constitutional requirements, and that the agency treats all detainees with dignity and respect.

The Latest

News & Commentary
man and woman test water quality in the desert

As Migrant Deaths Persist, Volunteers Shoulder the Work

As migrant apprehensions remain at record lows, the death toll endures – pushing Humane Borders to continue preventing more loss in the Sonoran Desert.
News & Commentary
man and woman test water quality in the desert

Mientras Persisten las Muertes de Migrantes, Voluntarios Sostienen la Labor Humanitaria

Aunque las detenciones de migrantes se mantienen en niveles históricamente bajos, el número de muertes persiste, lo que impulsa a Humane Borders a continuar previniendo más pérdidas de vidas en el Desierto de Sonora.
News & Commentary
The U.S.-Mexico Border wall in Yuma County, Arizona.

Notes from the Border: Yuma County

Known as the winter lettuce capitol of the world and a pitstop for politicians’ anti-immigrant stump speeches, Yuma County is much more than that – it’s a place I will always consider home. I recently returned to connect with community advocates.
News & Commentary
Hugo in Nogales

The ‘right way’ myth – when requests for legal status end in deportation

Immigrants pursuing legal status still face risk of expulsion – revealing how cost, complexities and discretionary power shape outcomes in the U.S.