Federal Register detention rule, March 6, 1997

… The IIRIRA extended the mandatory detention provisions to additional classes of inadmissible and deportable aliens but provided an exception for certain witnesses. It also allowed the Attorney General the option of a transition period for implementation of mandatory detention. The Service exercised this discretion and implemented the transition period custody rules on October 9, 1996, effective for 1 year. This interim rule amends the regulations to comply with the amended Act by removing the release from custody provisions for aliens who may no longer be released. These amendments to the regulations will take effect upon the termination of the transition period. As for non- criminal aliens, the rule reflects the new $1,500 minimum bond amount specified by IIRIRA. Despite being applicants for admission, aliens who are present without having been admitted or paroled (formerly referred to as aliens who entered without inspection) will be eligible for bond and bond redetermination. Several commenters complained that the Service has no national standards of detention. They stated that policies, practices, and decisions regarding outside communication are bewildering, arbitrary, and inconsistent. Consistent with its focus on providing safe, secure, and humane detention environments, the Service has implemented detention facility improvements and has set as a goal the accreditation of each of its facilities. The Krome Service Processing Center (SPC) has received accreditation with commendation from the Joint Commission of Healthcare Organizations (JCHO), the most prestigious medical accreditation that can be awarded. Currently, six SPCs are accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), and accreditation is pending at the remaining three SPCs. The Denver contract facility is also NCCHC accredited. Six contract facilities have American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation and two others have begun the accreditation process. …