April 2020: The Clinic along with attorneys from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid represented six women who are medically vulnerable due to their age and medical conditions in a lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, seeking release from a civil immigration detention facility in El Paso that had several confirmed cases of COVID-19. The women alleged that the facility did not adequately implement CDC guidelines to mitigate COVID-19 spread, in violation of Due Process. Within days, and after a tour of the facility by the federal district judge, ICE officials settled the lawsuit and released petitioners pursuant to an “alternatives to detention” program. The women will shelter in place and obtain medical care as needed, reuniting with their loved ones as soon as possible.
Protecting Medically Vulnerable People from COVID-19 2020
Category: Cases and Projects