The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [official website] on Monday called [press release] on the US government to “abolish the mandatory detention of migrants, especially asylum seekers, from all countries.” The working group stated that mandatory detention was a violation of international law standards. The group urged US authorities to ensure individual assessment for detention of asylum seekers, including women, men and children. The group found that while detention of migrants is meant to be non-punitive, conditions in the US approach punitive measures and may be viewed as measures to deter immigration. The group expressed the need for the US government to make concrete efforts to explore alternatives to detention.

The UN working group will release its final report on the current status of arbitrary detention in September 2017. The preliminary findings [press release] suggest that substantial changes need to be made in various sectors, including immigration, the criminal justice system and the closure of Guantanamo Bay. In August Vice President Joe Biden stated at a press conference in Sweden that he hopes and expects [JURIST report] that the Guantanamo prison will be closed before Obama leaves office. In September the Virginia Attorney General requested [JURIST report] a Department of Justice investigation into a regional jail after the death of two inmates, one of which suffered from mental illness.