“In her lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday, Sara Hernandez-Gonzalez said her late husband, Roberto Medina-Martinez, died from myocarditis — or an inflammation of the heart muscle – because of the federal government’s negligence.”
“The Department of Justice has refused to issue regulations that would allow immigration judges to decide whether to detain asylum seekers who are determined to have viable cases and pose no threat to society.”
“The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has announced plans to investigate complaints of sexual violence against immigrants in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)”
“Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and Americans for Immigrant Justice (formerly Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center) filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of Carlyle Dale, a lawful permanent resident of the United States who nearly died from medical neglect while languishing in immigration detention for more than five years. The lawsuit comes after the government refused to grant Mr. Dale reparations for his past and continued suffering.”
Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) has filed complaints on behalf of four gay and transgender individuals who were abused while in immigration detention. Since April 2011, NIJC has submitted to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) a total of 17 complaints of inhumane treatment of sexual minorities.
“Mr. Caceres fled to the United States from Honduras after suffering rape and torture by gang members on account of his sexual orientation. In July, an immigration judge determined Mr. Caceres was entitled to protection under U.S. law and granted him withholding of removal, a form of immigration status for people who have suffered or fear persecution in their native countries. However, after NIJC attorneys won his case, the government continued to detain Mr. Caceres, claiming it intended to deport him to an alternate country, even though Mr. Caceres has no connection to any other country and thus could not be deported elsewhere. Mr. Caceres filed a habeas petition in the district court in Wisconsin arguing that he was unlawfully detained. Before the court ruled on the petition, DHS released him.”
U.S. Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), and 36 other members of Congress sent a letter on June 29 to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder calling for investigations into civil rights complaints filed by NIJC in April on behalf of 13 gay and transgender immigrants who suffered discrimination, abuse, and medical neglect in DHS custody.
The 13 complaints describe violations including sexual assault, denial of medical and mental health treatment, arbitrary long-term solitary confinement, and frequent harassment by officers and facility personnel. The experiences of the courageous individuals who submitted complaints reflect the wrongful treatment suffered by hundreds of LGBT immigrants in DHS detention facilities throughout the country.
