Fusion Search  Authorities to Provide Lawyers for Mentally Ill
in Immigration Detention  PHOTO:   Honduran immigration
detainees prepare to board their U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE), deportation flight.  John Moore/Getty  For
the first time, a group of detainees accused of immigration
violations will be given the right to legal counsel.  A federal
judge in Los Angeles ruled that authorities must provide
detainees facing deportation with an attorney if they're found
incapable of representing themselves due to mental illness.
Because immigration court is not part of the criminal justice
system, defendants are normally required to hire their own
lawyer or represent themselves.  Judge Dolly M. Gee also ruled
that mentally disabled detainees should be given a bond hearing
to avoid unnecessary long-term detention.  Sean Riordan, staff
attorney for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, said
the ruling would provide "a critical protection" to mentally
disabled individuals facing deportation p