Ninth Circuit orders ICE to provide mattresses, blankets, medical care in S.F.'s ICE facilities

"On Tuesday evening, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Department of Justice to improve the conditions of ICE holding cells in San Francisco. That order came in response to a lawsuit, filed by the ACLU, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and other groups who, earlier this month argued in front of a federal judge that conditions inside the holding cells at 630 Sansome St. are so poor they violate immigrants' constitutional rights."

"The 51-page order written by Judge Casey Pitts, found an "established likelihood" that the "challenged conditions at 630 Sansome are unconstitutionally punitive in nature." Under the preliminary injunction, the ICE facility must be brought up to acceptable standards - meaning that detainees must have mattresses, blankets, hygiene materials, prompt medical attention, and other basic necessities, effective immediately. The court did, however, maintain that ICE can legally keep immigrants in holding cells for up to three days at a time."

"The ruling also certifies the lawsuit as a class action, which means that anyone detained there could theoretically join forces and sue the Department of Justice for damages. Attorneys involved in the case say they expect a final injunction before the end of the year. The next hearing, scheduled for December 9th, will determine whether the suit against ICE's nationwide practice of courthouse arrests can move forward. Since late May, Mission Local has tracked 129 arrests of asylum-seekers and immigrants."

The Ninth Circuit issued a preliminary injunction directing the Department of Justice to improve conditions at ICE holding cells in San Francisco. The injunction followed a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and other groups alleging unconstitutional conditions at 630 Sansome St. The 51-page order found an established likelihood that conditions were unconstitutionally punitive and required immediate provision of mattresses, blankets, hygiene items, and prompt medical attention. The court allowed ICE to detain individuals up to three days, certified the suit as a class action, and set a December 9 hearing on nationwide courthouse-arrest practices.

Read at Mission Local