It’s a major court win for immigrant youth. Help us defend it.
Dear John,
Last week, we won a critical victory for immigrant teens.
A federal court in D.C. ordered ICE to stop a dangerous new policy that would have sent unaccompanied children into adult detention centers the moment they turned 18—even when they posed no danger or flight risk and had families and safe places to live waiting for them.
The recent ruling enforces a long-standing court order that ICE tried to quietly sidestep. Since 2021, our Garcia v. Ramirez lawsuit protected immigrant teens who “aged out” of government shelters from being immediately transferred to adult detention centers, places notorious for their abusive and inhumane conditions.
But we got word that ICE was locking up immigrant children anyway. The American Immigration Council, the National Immigrant Justice Center and the U. of Iowa College of Law Federal Impact Litigation Clinic immediately filed a motion to enforce the Garcia v. Ramirez injunction, and the court agreed: ICE was breaking the law.
ICE must immediately stop enforcing its new policy and remove anyone placed in detention as a result. We’re happy to report that at least 11 teens have been released because of the court’s recent orders, and many others have avoided ICE detention altogether. They’ll be allowed to safely continue their lives and immigration cases while staying connected to their communities and families.
This win didn’t happen by accident. It happened because supporters like you made it possible for us to keep fighting. As we head into the final days of the year, your support is more important than ever.
