The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
February 23, 2015

Judge Blocks U.S. Detention of Central American Women & Children, Cites "Irreparable Harm" 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
A federal judge has blocked the Obama administration's wholesale
detention of Central Americans fleeing violence at home. Amidst an
influx of asylum seekers from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, the
Obama administration has been jailing women and children at so-called
family detention centers, where immigrants have reported prison-like
conditions. On Friday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg placed the
policy on hold pending a full hearing, saying it "causes irreparable
harm," while the administration has presented "little empirical
evidence" it deters further immigration. While officials have justified
the policy by arguing an ongoing influx of immigrants could threaten
national security, Judge Boasberg ruled the "incantation of the magic
word 'national security' without further substantiation is simply not
enough to justify significant deprivations of liberty." The American
Civil Liberties Union filed the case on behalf of mothers and children
they say have fled from extreme violence, rape and death threats.
Attorneys say they expect the women and children will be released from
detention beginning this week.

 

.