15938: Joseph: (in)effectiveness of detention on Haitian asylum seekers? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Dotie Joseph <dotiej@hotmail.com>

Greetings Fellow Corbetteers,

I was wondering if anyone had information (or knows someone with any
information) on the Dept of Homeland Security (which has taken over INS)
argument that they need to detain in order to deter.  They point to the old
"influx" or "flood" of Haitian asylum seekers after the US improved its
screening procedures years ago. Has there been any analysis of this? Do
experts agree that the numbers fleeing Haiti increased when the US improved
its procedures? Or were there other factors (e.g. things in Haiti got
worse)? Has there been any proof that detention does deter asylum seekers? I
know states detain in order to deter, but is there any proof that it works?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on the matter.

Ansamm Ansamm,
Dotie

_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail