Published July, 2020

Fraihat v. ICE; Brief of Amici Curiae; United States District Court, Central District of California; Casa de Paz et al. (2020)

Seven immigration advocacy and service organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Fraihat v. ICE, in support of an emergency request for the court to order Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release people at high risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court granted the motion on April 20, 2020 and ordered ICE to consider releasing people with chronic health conditions, among others.

The parties to this brief (two network-based national groups and local groups in New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Colorado, and California) are all involved in helping individuals reintegrate following release from ICE custody. Their brief argued that the release of at-risk detainees was urgently necessary for the health and safety of communities nearby immigration detention centers. The brief also informed the court in detail of the resources in place to assure that people would have appropriate places to go upon release.