On Thursday, we shared the urgent news about Wildin Acosta, a North Carolina teenager facing imminent deportation to Honduras. Unfortunately, last night, the Immigration Court issued a decision denying Wildin’s request for a stay of removal. Because the decision was issued after close of business, Wildin’s counsel was unable...
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Earlier today we told you the urgent news about Wildin Acosta, a North Carolina teenager facing imminent deportation to Honduras. Wildin is one of the 800 teenagers who arrived as unaccompanied children and have been detained and/or deported by ICE since October. He fled gang violence and death, and now ICE is...
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“I’m scared. I don’t want to go back. There’s a lot of violence, a lot of death” Earlier this year we learned that the Obama administration, in an attempt to defer illegal border crossings, had started to target recently arrived Central American teenagers for deportation. Despite outcry from the community and...
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High-schooler Kimberly should be sitting in a classroom like any other young person her age, but instead she’s sitting in a federal immigration detention center assembling packets of clothes for incoming detainees for one dollar a day. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the latest major news organization to cover the...
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“If I return to my country, I am sure I am going to my death.” Despite widespread outcry surrounding the Obama administration’s decision to target Central American teenagers for deportation, the enforcement actions have continued, with 336 young people detained to date. In a new must read piece in the LA Times Joseph Tanfani chronicles the...
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Senator Patrick Leahy had some choice words about a recent statement from immigration Judge Jack Weil, who claimed that toddlers as young as three, with some “patience,” could be taught enough immigration law to represent themselves before a judge in immigration court. “I’ve been on this committee for decades,...
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Last week, Jerry Markon of the Washington Post wrote a startling piece entitled “Can a 3-year old represent herself in immigration court? This judge thinks so.” It quotes sworn testimony from Jack Weil, a senior Justice Department official and a long-time immigration judge who is responsible for training other judge, who asserts “I’ve...
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Senior Justice Department Official: “I’ve told you I have trained 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds in immigration law’’ Earlier this year we learned that the Obama administration had ramped up efforts targeting young people who fled violence in Central America for deportation. While the administration insists those targeted in the most...
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Earlier today, House Democrats held a press conference to introduce the “Fair Day In Court For Kids Act,” legislation to ensure vulnerable children in immigration proceedings receive access to legal counsel. “We have a moral obligation to ensure these children and other vulnerable populations seeking our nation’s protection receive...
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14 immigration and community leaders were arrested during a demonstration in front of the White House today protesting the Obama Administration’s ICE raids targeting Central American families fleeing death and violence. “Look around you, and you will see 83 crosses. These crosses stand for 83 immigrant deaths that took...
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