LOU THURSDAY NITE....

DOBBS: We've been reporting extensively on this broadcast about the extraordinary position the American Civil Liberties Union takes against the federal government's crackdown on illegal immigration. This week the ACLU sued federal officials on behalf of the children of illegal aliens being held at the Hutto Detention Center in Texas.

The ACLU says the detention of illegal alien children is inhumane and un-American. Anthony Romero is executive director of ACLU and he joins us here now.

Anthony, good to have you here.

ANTHONY ROMERO, ACLU EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Good to be here, Lou.

DOBBS: Now, you say it's inhumane.

ROMERO: It is.

DOBBS: Well ...

ROMERO: It's only way to describe it.

DOBBS: Well, I just said you said that. But what I don't quite understand is, who supports you in this?

ROMERO: First, the courts support us. I think the broad level of American public support. When they find out what's going on in Hutto, they'll be shocked.

DOBBS: Let's take a look at some of the video of the detention center and the people in it. If we could put it up here or up there, that's great. This facility is by no means, you know, upper middle class suburb. But as you look at that, Anthony, it doesn't look that bad to me. What do you think?

ROMERO: Well, I think the video is deceiving. Talk about the kids, three to 16 years old who are clients. Some of them locked up in jail cells for 11 to 12 hours a day with no toys in their cells, no writing utensils.

DOBBS: In the cells but we see all sorts of toy and facilities there.

ROMERO: I'm sure this piece of propaganda can be quite dealt with. DOBBS: This is not propaganda. This is taken by a photographer ...

ROMERO: And a court of law will adjudicate it.

DOBBS: I'm just trying to understand.

ROMERO: That's the beautiful part of our American system. We will be able to put forward the facts and the evidence of these students and these kids who have been denied educational services.

DOBBS: Educational services. They are typically in the facility for less than 30 days.

ROMERO: No, absolutely not. Some of our clients are there for almost half a year.

DOBBS: You said some. I said most are there for less than 30 days.

ROMERO: But I think what's important to say even if they're there for a short period of time they're entitled to those educational services. Food, we have complaints that the kids are being inadequately fed. They're running around in prison uniforms.

DOBBS: Those little kids, they have prison uniforms?

ROMERO: They have prison uniforms, you bet.

DOBBS: Really?

ROMERO: Since 1997, there's been an order under an agreement signed with the Justice Department of Flores v. Meese that they're supposed to provide good facilities, adequate food, adequate shelter, adequate education and they have violated every step of the way that very same contempt decree.

DOBBS: How did they get there?

ROMERO: The U.S. government has arrested them.

DOBBS: For what?

ROMERO: The kids or who, the parents?

DOBBS: Well, yeah, the parents.

ROMERO: I think it's important, what's important, Lou ...

DOBBS: We'll find out what you think is important but how about answering my question. How did they get there?

ROMERO: Their parents are refugees. One of our clients from Guyana, one of our clients from Somalia.

DOBBS: And illegal aliens. ROMERO: People who are here, they are here illegally but they have a right to assert a legal proceeding to assert themselves as political- as refugees. That's the American way, Lou.DOBBS: Fine. But the reality is, Congressman John Carter from Texas concerned about what he was hearing about Hutto says, I was concerned about news reports and treatment at the facility. We were among those who reported on it. He went there. He said he believes that the dedicated employees of the facility were providing a humane and safe alternative to catch and release and he thought the facility was just fine.

ROMERO: Well, he's wrong. And a judge ...

DOBBS: As you say, a court will adjudicate.

ROMERO: A court will adjudicate. You present evidence, they get to rebut it and a judge will adjudicate it.

DOBBS: That is the American way.

ROMERO: That is the American way. That's why we're in court, fighting for those issues.

DOBBS: It's one of the reasons that I think we're going to talk about some of the other reasons. For example, taking on Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

ROMERO: That's right. Monday, we'll be in court. You should join me in court in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

DOBBS: I won't be joining you but I assure you your correspondents will.

ROMERO: We welcome you.

DOBBS: As a matter of fact, they were there today for the pretrial stuff.

ROMERO: We had a briefing this morning with some of your folks.

DOBBS: Yeah.
ou filed lawsuits against communities such as Hazleton, the Hazleton case going to court, as you said.

All those lawsuits with communities that are trying to deal with illegal immigration. What I don't understand is why, if you're going to sue the federal government over the facilities say at Hutto, why aren't you suing the federal government over failure to enforce U.S. immigration law? Why aren't you suing the government for its failure to take responsibility for maintaining, for states, maintaining social and medical and incarceration.

ROMERO: The detention centers, you'll see. San Diego, we'll be suing that detention center. DOBBS: So you're suing the federal government for failing to secure the borders and for not reimbursing states.

ROMERO: The poor conditions in the detention centers that we're going to take on. Let's go back to Hazleton.

DOBBS: Let's go back to this. When are you going to take on the American issue which is -- it says American on your ...
ROMERO: Right, absolutely. Americans who defend your rights and everyone rights.

DOBBS: So why don't you defend the rights of Americans, very specifically, and say enforce our immigration laws, force the federal government to pay for the state and local expenditures to incarcerate illegal aliens, to provide medical services and social services. Can I entice you to do that?

ROMERO: I can do what I can. What I can tell you is sometimes you need clients. It's much harder than just to bring a lawsuit.
DOBBS: If you want a client, represent me.

ROMERO: You want to be my client?

DOBBS: You got it.

ROMERO: You bet. I did Rush Limbaugh, I can do you.

DOBBS: I don't know what that means when you say do ...

ROMERO: I represented Rush Limbaugh in his medical privacy case when we -- Let's go back to Hazleton.

DOBBS: We have to go off the air because we're out of time.

ROMERO: We will have to come back to Hazleton next week and talk to Hazleton. It's much too important.

DOBBS: Are you going to book the show, too? The ACLU has a lot of power.

ROMERO: I have a lot of time.

DOBBS: OK. Good. We're going to prevail on some of that time, maybe next week. But I want you suing the federal government and I'll be your client. Go get them. Thank you. Anthony Romero, ACLU executive director.
ROMERO: My pleasure.

DOBBS: Still ahead. More of your thoughts. Results of the poll. It's worth waiting for. Stay with us. We'll be right back

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DOBBS: Now, results of tonight's poll. We're going to send this along to the good transportation secretary. Ninety-seven percent of you say you don't believe Mexican trucks should be allowed to transport freight in the United States.

And time now for your thoughts.

Many of you outraged about Bill Gates' comments yesterday, suggesting there should be no limit on the use of foreign labor in this country.

Dan in Toronto said, "Perhaps the reason Mr. Gates can't find skilled engineering talent is the fact that he himself is responsible for sending tons of jobs to India."

Thanks for being with us tonight. Please join us here tomorrow. For all of us, thanks for watching.

Good night from New York. THE SITUATION ROOM begins right now with Suzanne Malveaux sitting in for Wolf Blitzer. Suzanne?