Aug
27
Government Settles Immigrant Lawsuit
Filed Under Immigration News
A settlement has been reached between the US government and attorneys who were suing the government over the wrongful detention of immigrant children.
According to the lawsuit, the illegal immigrant children were being held in prison-like conditions with their families at the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility in Taylor, a former Texas prison, which violated a former agreement in which children would only be housed in nonsecure, licensed programs such as shelters or foster homes.
The agreement between the attorneys and the government was announced on Monday (August 27), with terms including a full-time pediatrician being added to the facility and the elimination of a counting system that required families to be in their cells for 12 hours a day. Privacy curtains would also be added to the toilets.
The new deal also means that families who have a chance to contest their deportation would not be placed in Hutto, and families who were in expedited removal proceedings would have their case reviewed every 30 days for possible transfer or release.