Martin Soto, held in ICE custody since February, filed an emergency petition for release in federal court in New Jersey. His attorney argued that continued detention no longer serves civil immigration purposes and has become punitive. The filing urged immediate release and return to his family, citing allegations of retaliation against Soto and his wife for criticizing conditions at Delaney Hall. Immigrant advocates described Soto as an organizer of an ongoing hunger strike. The motion cited termination of family visitation, threats of solitary confinement, deteriorating detention conditions, allegations of food contamination, attempted movement during active habeas proceedings, and psychological harm to a pregnant spouse and medically vulnerable children. The Department of Justice and ICE did not comment, and no government response had been filed yet.
"At this point, petitioner's detention no longer resembles ordinary civil immigration custody,"
"It has evolved into escalating punitive confinement marked by retaliatory termination of all family visitation, threats of solitary confinement, deteriorating detention conditions, allegations that detainees were served food containing worms, attempted movement during active federal habeas proceedings, and profound psychological harm inflicted upon a pregnant United States citizen spouse and medically vulnerable children."
"The motion argues ICE is retaliating against Soto and his wife for their outspoken criticism of conditions inside the facility, a charge echoed by elected officials."
"Soto has been in ICE custody since February, when he was detained by federal agents while out picking up diapers in Kearny. The Peruvian immigrant had been held at Delaney Hall in Newark until he was transferred to the Elizabeth Detention Center in Elizabeth early Monday."
Read at Gothamist
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]