First hearing in this case just concluded, and it was remarkable. During the hearing we learned of government conduct the judge described as "outrageous" -- they'd "spirited away" "people seeking justice in a United States Court"
So the purpose of this hearing was to hear argument on our request to stay the removal of our clients while their claims were decided, Government told us and court that they wouldn't deport clients until Friday at earliest so that ct could very quickly decide this question.
During the hearing, though, we learned that the government had put a mom and child on a deportation flight about an hour beforehand. We told the judge, who was rightly outraged. (See quotes above.)
He ordered the gov to turn the plane around and said that if the situation wasn't fixed he would consider contempt proceedings -- starting with the Attorney General.
Back to the original purpose of the hearing: the judge granted our clients a stay of removal. This is a critical first victory in this case, which is led by IRP's Jennifer Chang Newell -- she & team have been working around the clock for weeks to get us here.
For example, they filed the stay motion at midday yesterday, the government's response came in at 8pm, and our reply was due at 1am today, with argument at 10am. Litigation at the speed of light.
