Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 20 February 2020
U.S. judge sides with migrants in case against Border Patrol

PHOENIX (AP) — Condi- control, such as whether
tions at most Border Patrol other agencies involved in
facilities in Arizona are pu- taking migrants have ca-
nitive and unconstitutional, pacity.
a U.S. judge in Arizona said Its facilities were built of
Wednesday while ruling in short-term stays, for adults.
favor of migrants who have Holding cells are in odd
long-complained about shapes, reducing the num-
inhumane and unsanitary ber of sleeping mats that
conditions in holding cells. can comfortably fit on the
The ruling came weeks ground. On nights when
after the conclusion of a agents arrest large groups
seven-day trial in which at- of people, or when other
torneys for migrants who agencies involved in im-
sued in2015 argued that migration don't have the
the agency holds immi- capacity to pick them up,
grants in extremely cold, cells become extremely
overcrowded, unsanitary overcrowded.
and inhumane cells. A video displayed on the
The order makes perma- opening day of the trial
nent a preliminary injunc- showed a man walking
tion that U.S. District Court over body after body as he
Judge David C. Bury issued tried to make his way to the
in 2016 requiring the Tuc- In this Aug. 9, 2012, file photo, suspected illegal immigrants are transferred out of the holding area bathroom. Once there, he
son Sector to provide clean after being processed at the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquar- realized all stalls had peo-
mats and thin blankets to ters in Tucson, Ariz. ple sleeping in them.
migrants held for longer Associated Press Migrants have long de-
than 12 hours and to allow cried conditions in Border
them to clean themselves. al Immigration Law Center, some of the challenges who are considered civil Patrol facilities, now infa-
It also bars the agency from said in a statement. posed when migrants are detainees, not criminal — mously known as hieleras,
holding migrants more than The center was one of the detained, especially if are subjected to after 12 or iceboxes. And although
48 hours if they've been ful- advocacy groups that they are children. Reports hours are "presumptively- the Tucson Sector hasn't
ly processed, which is com- brought the case forward. of hellish conditions cir- punitive and violate the experienced the massive
mon when other agencies It was argued in court by culated in many parts of Constitution," and are even number of immigrants that
involved in taking the mi- attorneys for the law firm the Texas border last year, worse than a criminal jail or other parts of the South-
grants, such as Immigration Morrison & Foerster. where thousands of immi- prison, the judge wrote. west border has, the num-
and Customs Enforcement, "We are enthused that our grants — largely families — Bury has been critical of the ber of hours that migrants
don't have the capacity to justice system has inter- crossed over from Mexico. agency, saying it has done spend in custody there has
pick them up in a reason- vened in a meaningful way In El Paso, an inspection little to remedy issues, espe- continued to grow.
able amount of time. to institute much needed by the government's inter- cially around overcrowd- About 12,000 people were
Bury is also banning the use change and hold CBP ac- nal watchdog found there ing and migrants' inability in custody for more than 72
of bathrooms for sleeping, countable," Huerta said. were 900 people crammed to sleep. hours in the Tucson Sector
which came to light dur- Customs and Border Pro- into a 125-person facility at "Nobody has done any- last year, or about 20%. The
ing the trial this year, when tection didn't immediately one point in May. thing. Is that why a court average time in custody
video was shown of a man respond to a request for In his order Wednesday, has to jump in?" Bury asked was nearly 54 hours.
trying to reach a bathroom comment. Bury wrote that the Border during the last day of trial On Friday, another federal
but failing to because mi- In his order, Bury said there's Patrol and its parent agen- on Jan. 22. "It just seems like judge ruled in favor of im-
grants were sleeping in no evidence CBP intends to cies, or the defendants the lack of a response to migrant s and against the
them. create punitive conditions, in the case, "administer a these numbers just calls for government. The judge
"Today's decision is a tre- but that the agency has detention system that de- a court order." found the U.S. government
mendous victory for com- stretched resources to "pro- prives detainees, who are Government attorneys said in contempt after authori-
munities everywhere fight- vide the best conditions of held in CBP stations, Tuc- in their closing arguments ties deported five young
ing courageously to uphold confinement available un- son Sector, longer than 48 last month that plaintiffs immigrants who were seek-
human dignity and the der the circumstances." hours, of conditions of con- didn't prove the agency ing to remain in the coun-
rights enshrined in our Con- Although the lawsuit pre- finement that meet basic violated any constitutional try under a program for
stitution," Alvaro M. Huerta, dates last year's surge in im- human needs." rights. It says many things abused and neglected im-
staff attorney at the Nation- migrant arrivals, it illustrates Conditions that migrants — are out of the agency's migrant children.q

Guatemalan woman gives birth at U.S. Border Patrol office

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) old woman and her family made the arrest noticed ined for a routine medical tal and were in stable con-
— A pregnant Guatema- were spotted walking just the woman was pregnant assessment when she went dition, the newspaper said
lan woman arrested on east of the Otay Mesa Port but said she did not ap- into labor, officials said. Wednesday.
suspicion of crossing the of Entry near San Diego on pear to be in distress and "The medical staff, along "Our agents are well
border from Mexico with- Sunday, the Union-Tribune did not request any medi- with agents, prepared an trained to manage the un-
out authorization gave reported. It is believed they cal attention, officials said. area for the mother to give expected, and I'm proud
birth a short time later at used a ladder to get over Once they got to the Chula birth," the Border Patrol of the work they did in car-
a U.S. Border Patrol station the border fence, said Bor- Vista station, the woman, said in a statement. ing for this mother," Chief
in Southern California, au- der Patrol spokesman Jar- the baby's father and two The woman and her baby Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke
thorities said. The 27-year- rett Decker. The agent who children were being exam- girl were taken to a hospi- said in a statement.q