In Newark, more than 45 immigrant detainees have been transferred from the Essex County jail this week to unknown locations. The detainee population is decreasing since the county decided to end the housing of federal immigration detainees at the jail for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). The transfer is raising concern from advocates who’ve been pushing for both the closure of these facilities and the release of individuals held in them.
A lawsuit was filed Wednesday seeking to block the long-distance transfer of ICE detainees from the jail. The case was brought by the national ACLU, the ACLU of New Jersey, and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild on behalf of ICE detainees. NJ Spotlight News’ Social Justice Writer Monsy Alvarado updates us on the developing story.
READ: ICE relocates detainees from NJ jails, lawsuit looks to block long-distance transfers
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