Joanne Lin, policy counsel for American Civil Liberties Union on immigration matters, discusses Rep. Zoe Lofgren's (D-CA) Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008. The legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide basic medical care for immigrants held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and requires the ICE to report deaths of detainees. Lin stresses the importance of passing the bill to ensuring basic care for detainees in order to prevent future cases like that of Francisco Castaneda, a detainee who died of metastatic penile cancer as a result of failing to receive a biopsy and prompt treatment while in ICE custody. (6:06)
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