1. Will they ensure immigrants have access to lawyers and a fair day in court, basic rights that are the foundation of the U.S. justice system? Non-citizens in immigration proceedings have a right to a lawyer but they must pay for and locate one on their own. That's nearly impossible to do while in detention, particularly if a detainee does not speak English or is being held in an isolated area, located at a distance from legal aid organizations. To make matters worse, individuals can be held for months or years without having their detention reviewed in court. Will our next president uphold immigrants' basic due process rights?

2. How will they prevent mistreatment of men, women, and children jailed in immigrant detention centers in communities throughout the United States? While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has developed detention standards to address the conditions of confinement for immigrants detained in county jails and detention centers, these standards are not enforceable under law. A 2006 DHS Office of Inspector General report identified cases of noncompliance at immigrant detention facilities throughout the United States, including "the lack of timely initial and responsive medical care." In June 2007, The New York Times reported that 62 immigrants had died in detention since 2004. Most of those deaths had not been reported previously. Will our next president be committed to protecting the human rights of detained immigrants by codifying the detention standards into law?

3. What steps will they take to ensure lawful permanent residents (green card holders) receive timely decisions on their citizenship applications? As of August 2007, more than 300,000 people who had already passed the U.S. citizenship examination and interview were waiting to receive the final results of their required background checks. More than 152,000 of them had waited more than six months. The delays prevent immigrants who want to become Americans from fully integrating into American society. When the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service raised its fees significantly this summer, officials said the money would be used to improve the agency's efficiency in processing applications. Will our next president follow through on this promise?

4. Do they support community policing initiatives and encourage all immigrants to report crime?  Frustrated at Congress' failure to pass an immigration reform bill this year, towns and cities throughout the United States have debated whether to put immigration enforcement into the hands of local police departments. Some have even suggested forcing police officers to check the immigration status of victims and witnesses who report crimes. Shifting federal enforcement responsibilities to local police departments threatens to undermine community policing efforts and endanger the most vulnerable members of the immigrant community. Immigrant victims of domestic violence, trafficking, and other violence would be discouraged from reporting these crimes and would be further isolated by their abusers, who often use immigration status to manipulate their victims. Will our next president support community policing policies that encourage every one to report and help solve crimes, and keep our communities safe?

5. Will you support legal opportunities for non-citizens to live and work in the United States? We can all agree that the immigration system is broken, but reasonable people disagree on how to fix it. Bipartisan proposals have been widely debated in Congress, which has now failed twice in two years to enact reform. There are approximately 12 million individuals currently residing in our country who do not have legal status. Current law does not provide a path for these individuals to obtain legal status. Many of them have lived here for longer than five years, are working, contributing to social security, and raising families. We need a solution to fix our broken immigration system that is fair and practical. Deporting all of these individuals is neither fair, practical, nor economically viable. Will our next president work with members of Congress and support a workable solution to ensure that undocumented immigrants are able to seek legal status in the United States?

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