US judge halts the removal of more detainees from state (Boston Globe)

[Eugene]

US judge halts the removal of more detainees from state
DSS, immigration agency ordered to sort out problem of left-behind children

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff | March 10, 2007

A federal judge ordered immigration officials yesterday not to move out of state any
of the remaining detainees from Tuesday's raid of a New Bedford sweatshop and to
allow them access to lawyers.

Judge Richard G. Stearns also instructed the state Department of Social Services
and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to work together to solve the
problem of detainees who are mothers or primary caregivers and have been separated
from their children. He ordered those agencies to give him a progress report by
Tuesday.

"We haven't won, but we have made progress," said lawyer Harvey Kaplan after the
hearing at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in South Boston. Kaplan is representing
a group of immigration advocates who filed an injunction against the agency
Thursday afternoon.

-snip-

Today, the Department of Social Services plans to send two teams of 18 people to
Texas -- one to El Paso, and the other to Harlingen -- said spokeswoman Denise
Monteiro . Commissioner Harry Spence will travel to Harlingen.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/03/10/us_judge_halts_the_removal_of_more_detainees_from_state