EDINBURG – More non-citizens are seeking relief from detention, according to a new study conducted by Syracuse University.

Non-citizens are people who are in the U.S. but were not born here or are not naturalized.

They can file a Writ of Habeas Corpus to be released or brought before a judge.

A managerial statistics professor at Syracuse University, Susan Long, explains the filings increased by 10 percent over the past year and nearly doubled within the last five years.

KRGV’s Valerie Gonzalez spoke with Immigration Attorney Greg Lopez about this increase.

“I imagine because of the number of detentions, that increases the workload for deportation officers. And, you're not able to get the information that you need for your client. And, you have the family asking, why is my husband, my wife or my son detained by immigration?” explains Lopez.

Watch the video above for the full story.