WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The report released Thursday said that the US Government was interfering with the constitutional rights afforded to detained immigrants.
"The Commission found, among other issues, that several DHS immigration detention facilities were not complying with federal mandates and agency policies regarding the treatment of detained immigrants and detained unaccompanied immigrant children," it read.
According to the report, DHS is violating the detained immigrants’ rights by not providing them with adequate access to lawyers and not ensuring protection from sexual abuse at the detention facilities.
"The Commission recommends that DHS act immediately to release families from detention. The Commission also recommends that Congress should no longer fund family detention and should reduce its funding for immigration detention generally, in favor of alternatives to detention," the report stressed.
The release of the report coincides with the launch of US President Barack Obama’s "Stand Stronger" campaign to help eligible immigrants become US citizens.
Earlier this week, a representative of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry criticized the United States for its cruel treatment of immigrants.
In 2014, the United States saw a surge in undocumented immigrants as more than 150,000 unaccompanied children attempted to cross its southern border.
President Obama signed an Executive Order later that year to grant immunity to millions of undocumented immigrants with the possibility to obtain permits to work.
