by Michael Moline A coalition of civil-rights groups that includes the ACLU of Florida have filed an administrative complaint alleging a pattern of “horrific” mistreatment of immigration detainees being held at the Baker County Detention Center in North Florida. The 22-page complaint, addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and related government departments including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), seeks …
More Cuban kids are showing up at the U.S.-Mexico border without their parents – Miami Herald
By Syra Ortiz Blanes, Nora Gámez Torres, and Ana Ceballos “Jennifer Anzardo Valdes, director of the Children’s Legal Program at Americans for Immigrant Justice, said the nonprofit law firm has represented more unaccompanied Cuban children this year. They include teenagers between 16 and 18, although they also have younger clients. Some have come to reunite with family already living in …
Workers rights group provides information and resources, including TPS workshops – Haitian Times
by Ashley Miznazi “Cassandra Suprin from Americans for Immigrant Justice speaks in Creole to group of people who migrated from Haiti about protections against violence and applying for Temporary Protective Status at Miami Worker Center on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. About 40 people attended an information session Aug. 25 to learn about the rights of migrants and related topics at …
Influx of boat voyages prompts “Ukrainian treatment” call for Haitian refugees – Haitian Times
by Ashley Miznazi “Cassandra Suprin of Americans for Immigrant Justice in Miami said she has seen a double standard between the priority of Black and brown refugees compared to white. ‘We do support the U.S. response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis,’ said Suprin, the organization’s Family Defense Program director. ‘We just wish that such assistance can be offered to other …
Biden administration ends Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy after court lifts injunction – Miami Herald
by Syra Ortiz-Blanes and Michael Wilner “Jennifer Anzardo Valdes, director of the Children’s Legal Program at Americans for Immigrant Justice, told the Miami Herald that Monday’s development was ‘very welcome news.’ Her organization has heard ‘horrific stories’ of kidnappings, threats, assaults, and more happening to people enrolled in the program while in Mexico. ‘We had kids whose parents would go …
Why some Haitian boat refugees are allowed into the U.S. and others are sent back – Miami Herald
by Jacqueline Charles “Advocates say the fact that they do not know what’s happening with Haitians after they either cross the border or are taken ashore after arriving by boat is frustrating and raises concerns about whether they are getting due process to state their asylum claims. ‘Based on what we are seeing now, I don’t think there is a …
Florida migrant detention center subject of federal complaint – ABC News
By Armando Garcia “A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee in Florida said a group of officers threatened to take him to solitary confinement, then assaulted him, according to a federal complaint filed by several immigration groups. The allegation is part of a 102-page complaint against the Baker County Detention Center in Macclenny by a group of 15 current …
Civil rights groups file complaint alleging ‘inhumane conditions’ at federal wing of Baker County jail – News4Jax
by Tarik Minor “Andrea Jacoski is the director for Americans for Immigrant Justice, whose law firm assisted in coauthoring the federal complaint calling for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to shutter the federal facility. Spoiled and rotten food, a lack of hygiene products and non-drinkable water documented in the complaint are among the injustices immigrant advocates want the public …
Federal complaint claims ‘a living hell’ for immigrants inside ICE’s Baker County Detention Center – Florida Times-Union
by Dan Scanlan “Andrea Jacoski, a director with Americans for Immigrant Justice, said her team saw abuses during site visits and heard more during interviews with clients detained there. ‘We have authored reports and complaint letters throughout the years alerting ICE and the Baker County Sheriff’s Office staff, who oversee the detention center, of the egregious human rights violations occurring …
Victims of alleged abuse from Doral restaurant owner describe his unwanted sexual advances – Local 10 News
“Tatiana Hernández is a staff attorney on Americans for Immigrant Justice’s Lucha Project, which helps immigrant victims of crime gain legal status and connect with resources. She says protections exist for undocumented people who are victims of crime. ‘Because they’re undocumented, that ends up being a vulnerability for individuals,’ said Hernández. ‘The US government has seen it’s a vulnerability, they …