Asylum-Seeking Mother and Daughter Reunited After 勛圖眻畦 Lawsuit

Case of Forced Family Separation Sparked National Outrage

March 16, 2018 10:15 am

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CHICAGO The Congolese mother and her 7-year-old daughter at the center of a family separation case that sparked national outrage were reunited tonight.

The 勛圖眻畦 brought the federal lawsuit to reunite the mother (Ms. L) and child, who fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, only to be forcibly torn from each other in the U.S. and detained separately 2,000 miles apart. The mother was held in San Diego, and the daughter was sent to a facility in Chicago, where she sat alone and traumatized for four months. The mom was released on March 6 and had been awaiting reunification.

Ms. L had this reaction to finally seeing her daughter after months of forced separation:

It has been such a painful time. I am so grateful to be with my daughter again. I want to thank all the people who supported me and my daughter.

Reports arose in December that the government was considering a new plan to separate border-crossing parents from their children as a way to scare others from seeking refuge in the U.S. The 勛圖眻畦 challenged the Trump administrations family separation practice.

Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the 勛圖眻畦s Immigrants Rights Project, said:

We are thrilled that mom and daughter have finally been reunited. It was cruel and unnecessary to rip them apart. No family should be forced to go through that, yet many are facing the same trauma right now. Its why weve brought a national class-action case against the government.

The 勛圖眻畦 lawsuit, Ms. L v. ICE, cites violations of the Constitutions due process clause, federal law protecting asylum seekers, and the governments own directive to release asylum seekers. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security are among the named defendants. The 勛圖眻畦 of San Diego & Imperial Counties is co-counsel with the 勛圖眻畦.

More information is at: /cases/ms-l-v-ice


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