Impact: Raise Awareness, Save a Life

NIJC drew on its litigation, advocacy, and communications expertise in support of NIJC client Carlyle Dale, a lawful U.S. resident arbitrarily detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than five years. Mr. Dale suffered from medical conditions that became life-threatening when ICE neglected to provide him proper medical care in detention. NIJC and its pro bono partners brought Mr. Dale’s case to the attention of the Obama administration, litigated his case in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Fifth Circuit, submitted a petition on Mr. Dale’s behalf to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and brought international media attention to his story through an article in The New York Times and an online action campaign. As the result of public pressure and Mr. Dale’s victory in the Fifth Circuit, he was released in July 2010. Because Mr. Dale was the victim of medical negligence while in detention, NIJC currently is litigating a complaint on Mr. Dale’s behalf under the Federal Tort Claims Act regarding the medical negligence he experienced in ICE custody.