La semana pasada el Centro de Derechos Humanos y Derecho Constitucional escribió una carta anunciando la liberación de todos los niños de los centros de detención en la frontera. Se puede leer aquí:
Yesterday we won a federal court Order requiring the release of immigrant children detained by the Trump administration despite the spread of COVID-19 in family detention centers.
A copy of the Court Order issued by Federal District Judge Dolly Gee is available for download at this link.
Citing the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, Judge Gee on Friday ordered the release of all migrant children held in the country’s three family detention centers to relatives living in the U.S. to whom detained parents want their children released.
The order requires the release of all children with designated sponsors by July 17 came after it was reported that some of the detained families had tested positive for the COVID-19.
In March when we filed an emergency motion for the release of children there were about 650 children in family detention centers. On March 28 Judge Gee ordered the prompt release of these children. In April the number was reduced to about 340. In May number dropped to about 185. At the time of yesterday’s court hearing, about 124 minors remained in family detention centers.In March about 3,600 unaccompanied minors were detained by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). By June the number had dropped to about 1,077 minor still in ORR custody. The judge has also ordered that the unaccompanied minors be promptly released to available sponsors.
In her order issued yesterday, Judge Gee criticized the Trump administration for its “spotty” compliance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the virus from spreading in congregate detention facilities. CDC recommends various steps including social distancing, the wearing of masks, and early medical intervention for those with virus symptoms.
“The family residential centers are on fire and there is no more time for half measures,” Judge Gee wrote.
In response to inquiries, Peter Schey, President of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, and co-lead counsel for detained minors along with CHRCL’s General Counsel Carlos Holguin, issued the following statement:
“We are grateful that the federal court has again stepped into this crisis and ordered the release of all minors to relatives in the U.S. in the next three weeks as long as the parent detained with the child wants their child released. Some detained parents facing deportation brought their children to this country to save them from rampant violence in their home countries and would prefer to see their child released to relatives here rather than being deported with the parent to countries where children are routinely kidnapped, beaten, and killed. As ordered by the Court, we will continue to meet with the Government to finalize procedures ICE will have to follow to assess parents wishes regarding release of their children, and step-by-step procedures ICE will be required to follow to ensure that children are promptly released to their relatives whenever that is what a parent wishes.”
Inquiries may be addressed to class counsel for all detained minors:
For minors detained by Border Patrol and ICE pschey@centerforhumanriughts.org
For minors detained by ORR crholguin@centerforhumanrights.org
www.centerforhumanrights.org
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