Latest news with #TexasCivilRightsProject
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. Related: Trump is jailing immigrant families again. A mother, father and teen tell of 'anguish on a daily basis' 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'.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
ICE detains boy, 6, battling leukemia inside L.A. courthouse; mother suing for release
A Honduran woman who is seeking asylum in the United States has filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of her and her family's detention at a Texas facility. The woman, along with her 6-year-old son who is battling leukemia and his 9-year-old sibling, were detained after the three attended their May 29 immigration hearing in Los Angeles. Attorneys for the family say they could be deported at any time, despite their attempt to seek asylum in the U.S. The 6-year-old, identified as N.M.Z in a habeas corpus complaint, was diagnosed in Honduras with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 3 and has undergone two of the required two-and-a-half years of treatment, according to the court filing. Due to his detention, he missed a scheduled medical appointment on June 5. The mother is now suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security and the Trump administration for her immediate release, along with the release of her two children. The mother claims the government violated many of their rights, including the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment. This is the first lawsuit challenging ICE arrests of children pursuant to a new ICE directive encouraging courthouse arrests. 'A federal district court has already ruled that the ICE courthouse arrest policy announced last month is illegal and unconstitutional and I think applying it to children is particularly abhorrent and unconscionable,' said attorney Elora Mukherjee, a Columbia Law professor and member of the team representing the family. Attorneys noted that DHS determined the mother was not a flight risk when she was paroled into the country, and that her detention was unjustified. They also argued that she was not given an opportunity to contest her family's detention in front of a neutral party. 'The horrors that this family has suffered should never be felt by a child in need of medical care. Arresting immigrants as they step out of a courtroom is a heinous display of disregard for humanity. This family came to the United States seeking safety, but inhumane policies are preventing them from seeking necessary medical care for their child,' Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a statement provided to KTLA. The Texas Civil Rights Project said the family was placed in expedited removal, which allows for rapid deportation without a court hearing. The family's attorneys fear they could be deported before their lawsuit is heard. This mother and her children were granted legal entry to the U.S. during the Biden administration. The Trump administration has set a goal of 3,000 immigration arrests per day, or 1 million people per year, claiming that it is targeting violent criminals. ICE data obtained by the Cato Institute show that more than 93% of immigrants arrested this fiscal year were never convicted of any violent offenses. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to our request for comment at the time of publishing this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
18 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
19 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'.
NBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Attorneys challenge immigration arrest, detention of child treated for cancer
Attorneys are pleading for the release from immigration detention of a 6-year-old boy treated for cancer of the blood and bone marrow, who is being held in Texas with his mother and sibling. The boy, his mother and his 9-year-old sibling, originally from Honduras, were seized after the three attended their May 29 immigration hearing in Los Angeles last month. Attorneys say the family could be deported within days because their attempt to secure asylum in the U.S. was cut short. Their arrest is one of many carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at immigration courts to shuffle more immigrants into a sped-up removal from the country known as expedited removal. Many are like the mother and her children and were granted legal entry to the U.S. under the Biden administration. The Trump administration has directed judges to dismiss the cases of immigrants who have been in the country less than two years, so ICE can more quickly remove them from the country. As attorneys try to free the family from detention and get medical care for the child with cancer, they also are challenging the Trump administration's growing practice of making arrests at immigration courts. Attorneys believe this is the first case to challenge the administration's use of this tactic on children. 'A federal district court has already ruled that the ICE courthouse arrest policy announced last month is illegal and unconstitutional and I think applying it to children is particularly abhorrent and unconscionable,' said attorney Elora Mukherjee, who is part of the team representing the family. Last week, several groups filed a lawsuit challenging the arrest of Oliver Eloy Mata Velasquez, originally from Venezuela, after his immigration court hearing in Buffalo, New York. He also had entered the country legally through the CBP One process. In this case, the mother had been instructed to bring her children, who are out of school, to the immigration hearing, said Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project who is also representing the family. 'They arrested the family in the hallway as they were leaving ... The children were really scared. They were crying,' Gibson Kumar said. The family was arrested and then made to wait in another part of the court building. Attorneys said that during that time, an agent lifted his shirt as he was changing and one of the children, the 6-year-old boy, saw his gun. He became frightened and urinated on himself, and remained in the soaked clothing for hours, said Mukherjee. There were no clothes the boy's size until the next morning, when the family was about to be put on a plane and flown to Dilley, Texas, a detention facility near San Antonio, she said. The 6-year-old, identified as N.M.Z in a habeas corps complaint, was diagnosed in Honduras with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 3 and has been undergone two of the required two-and-a-half years of treatment, according to the court filing. He missed a June 5 medical appointment because he was in detention. Because it is acute, the cancer can progress rapidly without treatment. It affects the blood cells and immune system. It is considered curable in most children. However, attorneys said that the detention may be taking a toll on the children's health. Gibson Kumar said the children are really scared, are crying daily and barely eating. Mukherjee said that when she visited the family earlier this week, the 6-year-old exhibited some conditions that are known symptoms of his cancer. "He has easy bruising ... His right leg had a lot of black-and-blue marks on it, his left leg had black and blue marks on it, he had black-and-blue marks on his arms. He has bone pain occasionally, He has lost his appetite. These are all pretty concerning things," Mukherjee said. In an email, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said the "minor child has not undergone chemotherapy in over a year, and has been seen regularly by medical personnel since arriving" at Dilley. McLaughlin said that detained individuals are at no time denied emergency care and any implication that ICE would deny a child needed medical care is "flatly FALSE" and "an insult to federal law enforcement officers." "ICE always prioritizes the health, safety and well-being of all detainees in its care," McLaughlin stated. Illnesses of children held at Dilley in past years, as well as the 2018 death of a toddler after release from Dilley, have raised concerns about previous medical care for children confined there. The family was paroled into the U.S. on Oct. 26, 2024, through the CBP One app. They fled Honduras after being subjected to "imminent and menacing death threats," according to the habeas corpus petition. Once in the country, the U.S. government determined they were not a flight risk and not a danger to the community. The mother was not put on an electronic monitor. DHS gave them a notice to appear at the May 29 court hearing to pursue their claims for humanitarian relief, Mukherjee said. Attorneys have appealed the dismissal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which is part of the Justice Department. McLaughlin said that because the family has 'chosen to appeal their case — which had already been thrown out by an immigration judge' — the mother and children will remain in ICE custody until the case is resolved. The attorneys said the family was becoming deeply rooted in their community. The children attended a local public school that focused on the arts and had made friends. The 6-year-old loved playing soccer in the local park. The family attended church every Sunday and they were learning English, they said. "This is that family that was literally trying to do everything right and the forced disappearances of so many of our neighbors and community members, especially those who are law-abiding, should shock us all," Mukherjee said. The attorneys are arguing that the administration has illegally placed the mother and children in expedited removal and should at least offer them a chance for bond. The family should be in what is considered full-removal proceedings, which provides a longer, multistep process leading to a trial opportunity where they could submit evidence supporting their claim and present witnesses, Mukherjee said. "As DHS determined when it paroled them into the United States, the family is not a flight risk nor are they a danger to the community," the attorneys said in the habeas corpus petition, adding that their detention is unjustified. "Accordingly, the family is being detained in violation of their constitutional right to Due Process under the Fifth Amendment, and they should be released immediately." On June 21, the government conducted a credible fear interview — to determine if they fear persecution, harm or death if returned to Honduras — but Mukharjee said she was not informed of the hearing. Mukharjee said this happened even though ICE was well aware she and others were representing the family. "There are extremely, serious concerns about the government illegally subjecting them to a credible fear interview and denying of the opportunity to have counsel on the line, when DHS has been on notice for weeks that I'm representing the family," Mukharjee said.
