UPDATE: Teen whom @HHSGov blocked from @latimes interview despite her permission, mother’s permission & lawyers’ permission - a move legal experts say violates her rights - now due to be deported by ICE at 2 pm Central unless emergency decision by judge lat.ms/2yaxSWc
@HHSGov @latimes As part of @latimes @theCindyCarcamo reporting on how Trump admin citing coronavirus to delay releases of migrant kids in custody at same time as tries to deport them, I was connected with the Guatemalan girl’s lawyers @DMRS_ElPaso lat.ms/2X5QqPU 2/
The interview was set, the 16yo excited to share story, per lawyers. Just before, ORR ‘field specialist’ cancelled it, saying we had to go through agency, which ultimately said “individual risk posed to the minor seems to far outweigh the benefit” lat.ms/3cBKsN6 3/
She's 1/100s kids with family who asked for asylum at border but put into MPP. W/ <1% of 64k MPP winning protection bit.ly/2Z6HTi5 & 200+ cases @humanrights1st child kidnapping in Mexican cities forced back to, some parents decide better to send children across alone 4/
Lawyers across country told @latimes under cover of virus, Trump admin refusing to release these MPP kids from custody though they have family ready to sponsor them in US-they argue US law requires unaccompanied kids to get immigration hearings, whether or not they came before 5/
Trump officials say they already had hearings with parents under MPP. But fed Judge Gee-who oversees Flores settlement protecting kids in custody-noted in late April ruling MPP doesn’t apply to unaccompanied kids-as Trump admin claimed-& said these kids shouldn’t be deported 6/
That hasn’t stopped admin. The Guatemalan teen, who’d been upbeat, was distraught in next call with lawyers, crying, afraid, looking over shoulder, per legal team. Shortly after, she was transferred w/o notice, out of area of Texas so could no longer directly represent her 7/
Then just as habeas and temporary restraining order filed in other area of Texas, she was transferred again, to Louisiana, for staging for deportation to Guatemala - today in *one hour* 8/
Louisiana detention among hardest hit by COVID-19 - at @ICEgov staging area in Alexandria alone, 15 employees tested + bit.ly/2T8Fob4 ~120 Guatemalan deportees from US have tested COVID-19+ -latest yesterday-& now ~10% of country’s total cases lat.ms/2WY96kp 9/
ICE won’t give teen's lawyers in TX/LA contact to talk to her as sits in hotel awaiting potential deportation, per lawyers. Habeas & TRO filed last night arguing ORR ‘failed to place her in...least restrictive setting''subjected her to''significantly heightened risk' of virus 10/
In last distraught call, TX lawyer said Guatemalan teen smiled only once, when asked her plans for the future. “She wants to be a doctor. And if not, a police officer, and if not, a lawyer.” More to come @latimes next week END
BREAKING: Not end after all. Habeas and TRO have just been denied by federal judge in Louisiana, per lawyer. The 16yo Guatemalan girl is due to be deported in 45 min.
A twist: Teen's deportation flight has been canceled and rescheduled for Mon May 18. Guatemala gov said again pausing flights to review protocol after US had already promised it would test deportees for COVID-19 pre-boarding to ensure no more new cases but instead 3 more this wk
