Reid introduces bill to provide legal counsel for unaccompanied child refugees

WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada introduced a bill Thursday to require the attorney general to appoint legal counsel for unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the U.S. to escape harsh conditions in their home countries.

"They are refugees in every sense of the word," Reid said on the Senate floor, referring to children fleeing countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. "It is an understatement to say that these are not safe places to live."

El Salvador, he said, is the murder capital of the world with a homicide rate that is 26 times higher than the U.S. rate with Honduras and Guatemala taking the third and seventh rankings.

The refugees making the trek through Mexico and ending up on the U.S. border also are fleeing human and drug trafficking, sexual assault and widespread corruption, Reid said.

"The humanitarian crisis at our doorstep demands that we, as Americans, affirm our fundamental values of protection and due process," he said.

Current law does not include a right to counsel in noncriminal immigration removal proceedings, Reid said, adding nine out of 10 children without attorneys during such proceedings are deported, an act that can end up a death sentence.

In addition to requiring the U.S. attorney general to appoint legal counsel for unaccompanied children, Reid's bill also would provide the same for others who have been victims of abuse, torture or violence.

The attorney general and the Homeland Security Department also would have to make legal orientation programs available at all detention centers to explain rights under immigration law.

The bill would create a case management pilot project to increase court appearance rates and require Homeland Security to submit reports to Congress on the number of individuals represented by counsel, according to Reid's office.

It could face uncertain odds in a Republican-led Congress, especially in an election year that has seen immigration become a major issue on the campaign trail.

Reid's office did not respond to a question on the measure's chances.

Contact Jim Myers at jmyers@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760. Find him on Twitter: @myers_dc