Friday's Wall of Shame Poster Child: Lamar Smith

Smith: "This hearing is entitled “Holiday on ICE” because ICE has decided to upgrade accommodations for detained illegal and criminal immigrants.  While we would all like to be upgraded, we don’t have the luxury of billing American taxpayers or making federal law enforcement agents our concierge."

Brané: "To imply that these very basic protections are a 'holiday' or an undue burden on the agency is simply wrong. They are basic standards of decency that provide what should be the minimum response to any assault or rape. To refer to these critical protections and guidelines for enforcing rule of law as 'perks' is absurd. In fact, the 2011 PBNDS do not go far enough in protecting detainees from sexual assault and should be expanded to implement the full intent of PREA, including clear mechanisms for detainees and third parties to report abuse, provisions for confidential staff reporting, agreements with outside public entities and community service providers, appropriate training, audits and oversight. Denying the need for these protections not only puts detainees at risk, it exposes the agency to further scandal and liability."