Immigrant rights advocates accuse federal immigration authorities of making it difficult for immigrants held at two detention centers in Georgia and one in Louisiana to access and communicate with lawyers.
The Southern Poverty Law Center filed the lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and various individual officials.
The three facilities targeted are the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, and the LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana.
The lawsuit says the detention centers are isolated, requiring several hours to drive from big cities where lawyers, interpreters and other resources are located. It also says that lawyers who do make the trip often face long waits to see their clients in inadequate conditions.