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  2020-05-12

  Federal Court in Boston Rules Strongly in Favor ofImmigrants Detained by ICE at Bristol County

  Since March, Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights worked to improve the situations of immigrants held in detention centers. "In a powerful order, a federal court in Boston ruled strongly in favor of immigrants detained by ICE at Bristol County. The court ruled that the Bristol County Sheriff and ICE likely have acted unconstitutionally and shown deliberate indifference to the substantial risk of serious harm posed by COVID-19 to the detainees in their care." This success shows how civil rights lawyers were correct in fighting to improve the situations for immigrants. The lawsuit led to the release of more than 50 detainees.
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  2020-04-02

  Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights Group File Additional Briefs for Coronavirus ICE Lawsuit

  After filing an initial lawsuit against ICE and the Bristol County Sheriff in March, Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights group filed more briefs with the latest from medical and public health experts and actual stories of survival in Bristol County. Detention centers and ICE have largely ignored the health and safety protocols being instated by health officials, so as the coronavirus has spread, nothing has slowed the spread in detention centers and prisons.
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  2020-03-27

  Coronavirus Suit Filed Against ICE and Bristol County Sheriff

  A class action for emergency release has been filed in federal court by individuals in civil immigration detention at imminent risk of COVID-19 infection due to life-threatening conditions in the Bristol County House of Corrections run by Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. The complaint, filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights and Yale Law School’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic in partnership with the Brazilian Worker Center, contains alarming accounts of cruel and inhumane conditions: guards who report to work with coronavirus symptoms, and detained individuals who are still being brought into the facility – amidst the contagion – without any medical testing or screening. Even after one of the individuals who recently arrived fell severely ill, Bristol County and ICE failed to provide sanitizer or disinfectant. The immigrants bringing this case are literally trapped, and subject to imminent infection, illness and death because of their detention conditions under Sheriff Hodgson and ICE. In filing this complaint, Maria Alejandra, Julio Cesar, and their peers seek emergency release and alternatives to detention for all immigrants experiencing life-threatening conditions in Bristol County.
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  2020-05

  Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, Coronavirus Legal Warriors

  "As legal first responders, at a time when many doors are closing, we are opening ours wider. In response to an unprecedented need, we’re adding a new coronavirus legal warrior to our team. This expansion is critical to deepening and expanding free support for affected families, including help with unemployment claims. We’re also unveiling a state-wide initiative to support hundreds of small businesses. We’re joining forces with over a dozen legal, business, and community partners, launching a large-scale initiative for small businesses affected by the crisis: https://www.covidreliefcoalition.com/en Check out our coronavirus resource page in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Join us on Facebook every weekday at 10 AM for the latest scoop. Injustice doesn’t take a break during the crisis — and neither do we."