chicago — A federal judge is expected to hear arguments Tuesday after the Illinois groups File a lawsuit against federal authorities last week due to what they called “inhumane” conditions in the Chicago area Immigration facility.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman called a hearing for Tuesday morning, acknowledging that the timeline had been “expedited.” But at an emergency hearing on Friday, he said: “The nature of the case and the request for relief require immediate attention.”
While lawyers representing the federal government asked for more time to prepare, plaintiffs’ lawyers described the situation in the western Chicago suburb of Broadview as a “human rights emergency.”
Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and MacArthur Center for Justice say detainees at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility in Broadview They were denied access to food, water and medical care. They also allege that agents denied people detained at the facility private calls with attorneys and forced them to sign papers they did not understand, causing them to waive their rights without their knowledge. The face of deportation.
Department of Homeland Security officials denied the allegations and said such allegations contributed to an increase in death threats against immigration officers.
Gettleman on Friday ordered the lead prosecutors in the case to be returned to the Chicago area “as quickly as possible” before Tuesday’s hearing. Pablo Moreno Gonzalez and Felipe Agustin Zamacona — both Mexican immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than 30 years and were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and detained at the Broadview facility in October — were transferred Friday morning from the Broadview facility, attorneys representing the federal government said.
For several months Human rights advocates have raised concerns about conditions at the facility, which have come under scrutiny by members of Congress, political candidates and activist groups. Lawyers and relatives of people detained there have described it as a de facto detention center, saying up to 200 people are detained at a time without access to legal counsel.
The Broadview Center also sparked demonstrations, leading to the arrest of several protesters. The demonstrations are the focus of a separate lawsuit filed by a coalition of media outlets and protesters who claim federal agents violated their First Amendment rights by repeatedly using… Tear gas And other weapons on them.