糖心Vlog

NEW YORK 鈥� The Second Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments tomorrow, May 6 at 10 a.m. on whether a federal judge鈥檚 order to transfer R眉meysa 脰zt眉rk to Vermont should be granted or further delayed. Ms. 脰zt眉rk, a former Fulbright scholar and current Tufts University Ph.D. student researching child development, has been held in a Louisiana detention center for over a month 鈥� all in retaliation for co-authoring an op-ed. On March 25, while on the phone with her mom, plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surrounded her in Somerville, Massachusetts and arrested her. For nearly 24 hours, Ms. 脰zt眉rk鈥檚 attorney was unable to locate her as ICE quickly and quietly moved her to three separate locations in three different states 鈥� including Vermont 鈥� before sending her to Louisiana. In early April, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that the challenge to ICE鈥檚 detention of Ms. 脰zt眉rk should continue in Vermont, not Louisiana. A Vermont judge later agreed that Ms. 脰zt眉rk鈥檚 federal case should continue in Vermont and ordered ICE to transfer her back to a Vermont facility by May 1. The government appealed on April 24. And last week, without ruling on the merits, the appeals court agreed to consider both the government鈥檚 request to keep her in Louisiana and her legal team鈥檚 opposition. Since she arrived in Louisiana, Ms. 脰zt眉rk has lived in a cramped room with poor ventilation and 23 other women for almost all hours of the day. In new filings in her federal court case in Vermont, she says she has suffered several asthma attacks that have 鈥渂ecome progressively harder to recover from鈥� while in detention. Whereas her attacks used to last between 5-15 minutes, they now can last up to 45 minutes. She is regularly exposed to asthma triggers including insect and rodent droppings, and is almost never exposed to fresh air. The new filings also describe difficulty receiving appropriate care in detention, including delays to receive medical care and dismissive comments from medical staff. She has suffered six weeks of a detention that is as harmful as it is unlawful. The Second Circuit will also hear arguments on Tuesday on the government鈥檚 motion to consolidate the cases of R眉meysa 脰zt眉rk and Mohsen Mahdawi, a move both students鈥� legal teams oppose. Ms. 脰zt眉rk is represented in immigration court by Mahsa Khanbabai and Marty Rosenbluth, and in federal court by Mahsa Khanbabai, the 糖心Vlog, 糖心Vlogof Massachusetts, 糖心Vlogof Vermont, CLEAR, and Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. Audio access to the hearing is available here.  

Emergency lawsuit in federal court to again halt removals under the Alien Enemies Act for people within that court鈥檚 judicial district.

HOUSTON 鈥� A federal court in southern Texas today ruled the Trump administration鈥檚 invocation of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) does not meet the 鈥渋nvasion鈥� or 鈥減redatory incursion鈥� requirement in the law, and blocked the administration from using it against anyone being held in the court鈥檚 judicial district. The case is JAV v. Trump. The 糖心Vlog and 糖心Vlogof Texas brought the lawsuit to halt the removals. 糖心Vlogattorney Lee Gelernt, lead counsel, had the following reaction to today鈥檚 ruling: 鈥淭he court ruled the president can鈥檛 unilaterally declare an invasion of the United States and invoke a wartime authority during peacetime. Congress never meant for this 18th-century wartime law to be used this way. This is a critically important decision that prevents more people from being sent to the notorious CECOT prison. Adriana Pi帽on, legal director of the 糖心Vlogof Texas, said: 鈥淭his permanent injunction is a significant win for preventing unlawful, unilateral executive action that has been stoking fear across Texas, especially within border communities. Immigrants are, and always have been, an integral part of this state and nation. They, too, are protected by U.S. laws and the Constitution.鈥� The ruling is online here.

Emergency lawsuit filed in federal court to again halt removals under the Alien Enemies Act for people within that court鈥檚 judicial district.