Foreigners detained in Washington on immigration violations will be provided free legal help under a plan announced yesterday by the American Bar Association and Microsoft, which decried the "dire situation that immigrants face in the United States today."
In Washington, about 300 people are being held by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Because they have not been charged with crimes, they have not been provided lawyers, and only about 10 percent can afford to hire legal help.
As a result, many wind up being detained for more than a year.
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