Patent Injustice: The Obama Administration vs. Helpless Children

Jacob Ratzan Appears at Press Conference at the Archdiocese of Miami on the Unaccompanied Minor Crisis

                                  

                                    

 

This morning, in my capacity as President of the South Florida chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), I participated in a press conference about a horrible and sad injustice taking place relating to unaccompanied minors (UACs). 

 

This week the Department of Justice announced that immigration courts around the country will now expedite the deportation proceedings of children who have recently arrived to the United States through the southwest border.  As a result, between now and September 12, the Miami immigration court alone will be processing 150 children's cases per day!

 

The decision to place children at the front of the line for deportation could be the Obama administration's worst yet.  Here's why:

  1. These CHILDREN are refugees, victims of trafficking, victims of abuse, and targets of gang violence. 
  2. In the rush to schedule these CHILDREN for deportation hearings, many are not receiving the notices to appear in immigration court.  Failure to appear can lead to a deportation order.
  3. By hastily processing these cases, the CHILDREN do not have time to obtain legal representation.
  4. Many meritorious cases on the judges' dockets will have to be postponed, and the immigration courts already have a backlog of 375,000 cases nationwide.    

Here's an anecdote I heard today about something that transpired yesterday in immigration court: 

 

A young child appeared for his court hearing with his mother, who is an undocumented immigrant not in deportation proceedings.  The judge asked if the case of the mother and son would be consolidated, but the attorney for the Department of Homeland Security said the government's policy is not to place the undocumented parents in removal proceedings.  The judge turned to the government attorney and said, "So you're only deporting children?"

 

The absurdity speaks for itself...

 

The directive from the Obama administration to expedite the deportation proceedings of children is inhumane and embarrassing.  The administration should be ashamed for making political theater of a humanitarian crisis.    

 

- Jacob Ratzan


 


Logo cropped 2l  

 

 

 

 

 

 Like us on Facebook 

 
  

 

Jacob L. Ratzan, P.A.
1450 Brickell Ave, Suite 2600  
Miami, FL 33131 
Tel: (786) 406-1744 
Fax: (786) 406-1745