John,

We just secured a victory for unaccompanied youth. 

A judge issued a five-year permanent injunction requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to address its systemic violation of our immigration laws designed to protect immigrant teenagers. 

The lawsuit, Garcia Ramirez v. ICE, challenged ICE’s practice of detaining unaccompanied children who turned 18 and “aged out” of Office of Refugee Resettlement custody rather than releasing them to a sponsor, group home, or shelter.  On the morning of their 18th birthday, ICE agents would arrest them, often place them in handcuffs, and transport them to ICE detention centers and jails. 

The Council and our partners took ICE to court to stop this unlawful practice. Last summer, the court ruled that ICE violated a law that requires the agency to consider placing children in the “least restrictive setting.” Yesterday, citing ICE’s “pervasive violations” of the law, the Court issued an order requiring ICE to change its policies and procedures to avoid further unlawful detentions.

The injunction will be in place for five years. It requires ICE to:

• Re-train its officers.
• Update its policies and handbook consistent with the Court’s order.
• Document its custody decisions for every unaccompanied immigrant child who turns 18 in custody.
• Provide that documentation, as well as field office statistics and other data, to class counsel monthly.  

Victories like this are only possible with your support. Please consider donating today.

We will continue to hold ICE accountable to ensure this horrific, unlawful practice doesn’t happen again. 
 

Sincerely,

Kate Melloy Goettel
Director of Litigation

         

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