At Least a Dozen Detainees Still Held at JFK in Apparent Violation of Federal Judge’s Ruling (Jezebel)
Jezebel, January 29, 2017
At Least a Dozen Detainees Still Held at JFK in Apparent Violation of Federal Judge’s Ruling
“Four detainees who had secured legal representation were released Sunday morning, Laura Berger, an immigration attorney with the City Bar Justice Center and volunteer with the Immigrant and Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), told Jezebel. At least a dozen detainees were still being held at JFK on Sunday afternoon, Berger could not say precisely how many, as Customs and Border Protection Officials have not cooperated with the immigration lawyers’ inquiries. Lawyers working with IRAP and the American Civil Liberties Union have only been able to identify detainees by canvassing the arrivals sections, searching for family members of those held by CBP. The agency’s JFK field office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Jezebel; the voicemail at the agency’s DC office was full. ‘They’ve released people with green cards,’ Berger said, ‘but they’re not fully complying with the judge’s order. They’re still detaining people. The order is supposed to apply to everyone who is currently detained.’ Berger said that CBP officials have taken detainees travel documents and sent them to headquarters in Washington, D.C. for ‘screening.’ What CBP—a part of the Department of Homeland Security—is actually screening for remains unclear. ‘All of these people have already been screened,’ Berger said. In addition to green-card holders, they are students (for whom the screening process lasts as long as three months) and refugees (for whom the process can take up to two years).”
