Latest news with #Honduras
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mother arrested at LA court alongside six-year-old son with cancer sues Ice
A Honduran woman who sought asylum in the US is suing the Trump administration after immigration agents arrested her and her children, including her six-year-old son who was diagnosed with leukemia, at a Los Angeles immigration court. The woman, identified as 'Ms Z' in the lawsuit, and her nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son have been in custody at a Texas detention facility for several weeks following their arrest. The government has placed them in expedited removal proceedings. Lawyers for the family say they were detained as part of the administration's 'nationwide campaign to summarily arrest law-abiding non-citizens when they attend their immigration court hearings'. Such arrests that are occurring at 'rates never before seen in the United States', according to the lawsuit filed this week. The lawsuit alleges the family is being detained in violation of their constitutional rights. The family applied to come to the US last year after fleeting their home country, where they faced 'imminent, menacing death threats'. They followed the 'lawful process', were paroled and went to live with the woman's mother, according to court documents provided by the Texas Civil Rights Project. The boy had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of three and underwent two years of successful treatment. While no more leukemia cells were found in his blood, his mother knew he would need regular monitoring and medical care and took him to multiple appointments once they settled in the US, according to the suit. After attending a court hearing in Los Angeles last month, where their case was suddenly dismissed, federal agents dressed as civilians arrested the family 'without any prior notice or warning' as they left the courtroom. They were not permitted to leave or make calls, the suit stated. The six-year-old, after seeing an agents gun, urinated on himself in fear and was left in the wet clothing for hours, according to the suit. The family has been held at a detention center in Dilley, Texas, since their arrest. The six-year-old missed a medical appointment related to his diagnosis earlier this month because of the family's incarceration. Detention has highly detrimental effects on the physical and mental health of children, potentially causing 'serious psychological trauma', and research has found that children at the Dilley facility suffer from 'inadequate medical care', according to the suit. The six-year-old has 'lost his appetite, experienced easy bruising and occasional bone pain, and looks pale, all of which are recognized as symptoms of leukemia,' the suit states, and his mother fears he is not receiving necessary medical care. Both children cry every night. DHS official Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the Guardian that the boy has received regular treatment while in custody. 'First of all, at no time during detention is a detained individual denied emergency care,' said McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary. 'Fortunately, the minor child in question has not undergone chemotherapy in over a year, and has been seen regularly by medical personnel since arriving at the Dilley facility.' 'The implication that Ice would deny a child the medical care they need is flatly FALSE, and it is an insult to the men and women of federal law enforcement. Ice ALWAYS prioritizes the health, safety, and wellbeing of all detainees in its care.' Lawyers are requesting the family's immediate release for medical treatment, and say that they are not a flight risk and have 'done everything the government asked of them'. 'The government is not detaining petitioners to serve its legitimate interests in protecting against danger or flight risk,' the court filing states. 'Instead, the government is detaining this family, along with countless others swept up in its courthouse arrests, for the illegitimate reason that they were easy to locate because they were where DHS told them to be to pursue humanitarian relief.' The family is suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the Department of Justice (DoJ) as well as the warden of the detention center, Ice's acting director, the homeland security secretary, and the attorney general, among others. McLaughlin said the family 'had chosen to appeal their case – which had already been thrown out by an immigration judge – and will remain in Ice custody until it is resolved'.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mother arrested at LA court alongside six-year-old son with cancer sues Ice
A Honduran woman who sought asylum in the US is suing the Trump administration after immigration agents arrested her and her children, including her six-year-old son who was diagnosed with leukemia, at a Los Angeles immigration court. The woman, identified as 'Ms Z' in the lawsuit, and her nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son have been in custody at a Texas detention facility for several weeks following their arrest. The government has placed them in expedited removal proceedings. Lawyers for the family say they were detained as part of the administration's 'nationwide campaign to summarily arrest law-abiding non-citizens when they attend their immigration court hearings'. Such arrests that are occurring at 'rates never before seen in the United States', according to the lawsuit filed this week. The lawsuit alleges the family is being detained in violation of their constitutional rights. The family applied to come to the US last year after fleeting their home country, where they faced 'imminent, menacing death threats'. They followed the 'lawful process', were paroled and went to live with the woman's mother, according to court documents provided by the Texas Civil Rights Project. The boy had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of three and underwent two years of successful treatment. While no more leukemia cells were found in his blood, his mother knew he would need regular monitoring and medical care and took him to multiple appointments once they settled in the US, according to the suit. After attending a court hearing in Los Angeles last month, where their case was suddenly dismissed, federal agents dressed as civilians arrested the family 'without any prior notice or warning' as they left the courtroom. They were not permitted to leave or make calls, the suit stated. The six-year-old, after seeing an agents gun, urinated on himself in fear and was left in the wet clothing for hours, according to the suit. The family has been held at a detention center in Dilley, Texas, since their arrest. The six-year-old missed a medical appointment related to his diagnosis earlier this month because of the family's incarceration. Detention has highly detrimental effects on the physical and mental health of children, potentially causing 'serious psychological trauma', and research has found that children at the Dilley facility suffer from 'inadequate medical care', according to the suit. The six-year-old has 'lost his appetite, experienced easy bruising and occasional bone pain, and looks pale, all of which are recognized as symptoms of leukemia,' the suit states, and his mother fears he is not receiving necessary medical care. Both children cry every night. DHS official Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the Guardian that the boy has received regular treatment while in custody. 'First of all, at no time during detention is a detained individual denied emergency care,' said McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary. 'Fortunately, the minor child in question has not undergone chemotherapy in over a year, and has been seen regularly by medical personnel since arriving at the Dilley facility.' 'The implication that Ice would deny a child the medical care they need is flatly FALSE, and it is an insult to the men and women of federal law enforcement. Ice ALWAYS prioritizes the health, safety, and wellbeing of all detainees in its care.' Lawyers are requesting the family's immediate release for medical treatment, and say that they are not a flight risk and have 'done everything the government asked of them'. 'The government is not detaining petitioners to serve its legitimate interests in protecting against danger or flight risk,' the court filing states. 'Instead, the government is detaining this family, along with countless others swept up in its courthouse arrests, for the illegitimate reason that they were easy to locate because they were where DHS told them to be to pursue humanitarian relief.' The family is suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the Department of Justice (DoJ) as well as the warden of the detention center, Ice's acting director, the homeland security secretary, and the attorney general, among others. McLaughlin said the family 'had chosen to appeal their case – which had already been thrown out by an immigration judge – and will remain in Ice custody until it is resolved'.
CNN
16 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
Migrant family sues over US detention in what may be first challenge to courthouse arrests involving kids
A mother and her two young kids are fighting for their release from a Texas immigration detention center in what is believed to be the first lawsuit involving children challenging the Trump administration's policy on immigrant arrests at courthouses. The lawsuit filed Tuesday argues that the family's arrests after fleeing Honduras and entering the US legally using a Biden-era appointment app violate their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizure and their Fifth Amendment right to due process. 'The big picture is that the executive branch cannot seize people, arrest people, detain people indefinitely when they are complying with exactly what our government has required of them,' said Columbia Law School professor Elora Mukherjee, one of the lawyers representing the family. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Starting in May, the country has seen large-scale arrests in which asylum-seekers appearing at routine court hearings have been arrested outside courtrooms as part of the White House's mass deportation effort. In many cases, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings and then US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will arrest the person and place them on 'expedited removal,' a fast track to deportation. Mukherjee said this is the first lawsuit filed on behalf of children to challenge the ICE courthouse arrest policy. The government has until July 1 to respond. There have been other similar lawsuits, including in New York, where a federal judge ruled earlier this month that federal immigration authorities can't make civil arrests at the state's courthouses or arrest anyone going there for a proceeding. The Texas lawsuit was filed using initials for the children and 'Ms. Z' for the mother. Their identities have not been released because of concerns for their safety. For weeks in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the mother has watched her 6-year-old son's health decline, Mukherjee said. He recently underwent chemotherapy treatment for leukemia and because of his arrest missed his check-in doctor's appointment, Mukherjee said. 'He's easily bruising. He has bone pain. He looks pale,' Mukherjee said, adding that he has also lost his appetite. 'His mom is terrified that these are symptoms that his leukemia situation might be deteriorating.' The mother, son and 9-year-old daughter fled Honduras in October 2024 due to death threats, according to the lawsuit. They entered the US using the CBP One app and were paroled into the country by the Department of Homeland Security, which determined they didn't pose a danger to the community, Mukherjee said. They were told to appear at a Los Angeles immigration court May 29. President Donald Trump ended CBP One for new entrants on his first day in office after more than 900,000 people had been allowed in the country using the app since it was expanded to include migrants in January 2023. During the family's hearing, the mother tried to tell the judge that they wished to continue their cases for asylum, Mukherjee said. Homeland Security moved to dismiss their cases, and the judge immediately granted that motion. When they stepped out of the courtroom, they found men in civilian clothing believed to be ICE agents who arrested the family, Mukherjee said. They spent about 11 hours at an immigrant processing center in Los Angeles and were each only given an apple, a small packet of cookies, a juice box and water. At one point, an officer near the boy lifted his shirt, revealing his gun. The boy urinated on himself and was left in wet clothing until the next morning, Mukherjee said. They were later taken to the processing center, where they have been held ever since. 'The family is suffering in this immigration detention center,' she said. 'The kids are crying every night. They're praying to God for their release from this detention center.' Their lawyers have filed an appeal of the immigration judge's May decision, but they're at risk of being deported within days because the government says they are subjected to expedited removal, Mukherjee said. The arrests of the family were illegal and unjustified, said Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights project who is also representing the family. 'The essential question in our case is, when you have these families who are doing everything right, especially with young children, should there be some protection there?' Gibson Kumar said. 'We say 'yes.''
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Mother sues US detention for release of two young children in first lawsuit of kind
A mother and her two young children are fighting for their release from a Texas immigration detention centre, in what is believed to be the first lawsuit involving children to challenge the Trump administration's policy on immigrant arrests at courthouses. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, argues that the family's arrests violate their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizure, and their Fifth Amendment right to due process. This challenge comes despite the family having entered the US legally after fleeing Honduras, utilising a Biden-era appointment application. Elora Mukherjee, a Columbia Law School professor and one of the lawyers representing the family, underscored the broader implications of the case. "The big picture is that the executive branch cannot seize people, arrest people, detain people indefinitely when they are complying with exactly what our government has required of them," she stated. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Starting in May, the country has seen large-scale arrests in which asylum-seekers appearing at routine court hearings have been arrested outside courtrooms as part of the White House's mass deportation effort. In many cases, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings and then U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will arrest the person and place them on "expedited removal," a fast track to deportation. Mukherjee said this is the first lawsuit filed on behalf of children to challenge the ICE courthouse arrest policy. The government has until July 1 to respond. There have been other similar lawsuits, including in New York, where a federal judge ruled earlier this month that federal immigration authorities can't make civil arrests at the state's courthouses or arrest anyone going there for a proceeding. The Texas lawsuit was filed using initials for the children and "Ms. Z" for the mother. Their identities have not been released because of concerns for their safety. For weeks in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the mother has watched her 6-year-old son's health decline, Mukherjee said. He recently underwent chemotherapy treatment for leukemia and because of his arrest missed his check-in doctor's appointment, Mukherjee said. "He's easily bruising. He has bone pain. He looks pale," Mukherjee said, adding that he has also lost his appetite. "His mom is terrified that these are symptoms that his leukemia situation might be deteriorating." The mother, son and 9-year-old daughter fled Honduras in October 2024 due to death threats, according to the lawsuit. They entered the U.S. using the CBP One app and were paroled into the country by the Department of Homeland Security, which determined they didn't pose a danger to the community, Mukherjee said. They were told to appear at a Los Angeles immigration court May 29. President Donald Trump ended CBP One for new entrants on his first day in office after more than 900,000 people had been allowed in the country using the app since it was expanded to include migrants in January 2023. During the family's hearing, the mother tried to tell the judge that they wished to continue their cases for asylum, Mukherjee said. Homeland Security moved to dismiss their cases, and the judge immediately granted that motion. When they stepped out of the courtroom, they found men in civilian clothing believed to be ICE agents who arrested the family, Mukherjee said. They spent about 11 hours at an immigrant processing center in Los Angeles and were each only given an apple, a small packet of cookies, a juice box and water. At one point, an officer near the boy lifted his shirt, revealing his gun. The boy urinated on himself and was left in wet clothing until the next morning, Mukherjee said. They were later taken to the processing center, where they have been held ever since. "The family is suffering in this immigration detention center," she said. "The kids are crying every night. They're praying to God for their release from this detention center." Their lawyers have filed an appeal of the immigration judge's May decision, but they're at risk of being deported within days because the government says they are subjected to expedited removal, Mukherjee said. The arrests of the family were illegal and unjustified, said Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights project who is also representing the family. "The essential question in our case is, when you have these families who are doing everything right, especially with young children, should there be some protection there?" Gibson Kumar said. "We say 'yes."'
CNN
a day ago
- Health
- CNN
Migrant family sues over US detention in what may be first challenge to courthouse arrests involving kids
ImmigrationFacebookTweetLink Follow A mother and her two young kids are fighting for their release from a Texas immigration detention center in what is believed to be the first lawsuit involving children challenging the Trump administration's policy on immigrant arrests at courthouses. The lawsuit filed Tuesday argues that the family's arrests after fleeing Honduras and entering the US legally using a Biden-era appointment app violate their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizure and their Fifth Amendment right to due process. 'The big picture is that the executive branch cannot seize people, arrest people, detain people indefinitely when they are complying with exactly what our government has required of them,' said Columbia Law School professor Elora Mukherjee, one of the lawyers representing the family. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Starting in May, the country has seen large-scale arrests in which asylum-seekers appearing at routine court hearings have been arrested outside courtrooms as part of the White House's mass deportation effort. In many cases, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings and then US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will arrest the person and place them on 'expedited removal,' a fast track to deportation. Mukherjee said this is the first lawsuit filed on behalf of children to challenge the ICE courthouse arrest policy. The government has until July 1 to respond. There have been other similar lawsuits, including in New York, where a federal judge ruled earlier this month that federal immigration authorities can't make civil arrests at the state's courthouses or arrest anyone going there for a proceeding. The Texas lawsuit was filed using initials for the children and 'Ms. Z' for the mother. Their identities have not been released because of concerns for their safety. For weeks in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the mother has watched her 6-year-old son's health decline, Mukherjee said. He recently underwent chemotherapy treatment for leukemia and because of his arrest missed his check-in doctor's appointment, Mukherjee said. 'He's easily bruising. He has bone pain. He looks pale,' Mukherjee said, adding that he has also lost his appetite. 'His mom is terrified that these are symptoms that his leukemia situation might be deteriorating.' The mother, son and 9-year-old daughter fled Honduras in October 2024 due to death threats, according to the lawsuit. They entered the US using the CBP One app and were paroled into the country by the Department of Homeland Security, which determined they didn't pose a danger to the community, Mukherjee said. They were told to appear at a Los Angeles immigration court May 29. President Donald Trump ended CBP One for new entrants on his first day in office after more than 900,000 people had been allowed in the country using the app since it was expanded to include migrants in January 2023. During the family's hearing, the mother tried to tell the judge that they wished to continue their cases for asylum, Mukherjee said. Homeland Security moved to dismiss their cases, and the judge immediately granted that motion. When they stepped out of the courtroom, they found men in civilian clothing believed to be ICE agents who arrested the family, Mukherjee said. They spent about 11 hours at an immigrant processing center in Los Angeles and were each only given an apple, a small packet of cookies, a juice box and water. At one point, an officer near the boy lifted his shirt, revealing his gun. The boy urinated on himself and was left in wet clothing until the next morning, Mukherjee said. They were later taken to the processing center, where they have been held ever since. 'The family is suffering in this immigration detention center,' she said. 'The kids are crying every night. They're praying to God for their release from this detention center.' Their lawyers have filed an appeal of the immigration judge's May decision, but they're at risk of being deported within days because the government says they are subjected to expedited removal, Mukherjee said. The arrests of the family were illegal and unjustified, said Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights project who is also representing the family. 'The essential question in our case is, when you have these families who are doing everything right, especially with young children, should there be some protection there?' Gibson Kumar said. 'We say 'yes.''
