June 07, 2018 - 3:35 PM
NEW YORK - A New York judge says he'll rule quickly on civil rights lawyers' demands that the government stop detaining some immigrant children for an average of over eight months.
U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty said after oral arguments Thursday he'll decide soon on the request that he force the government to prevent long detentions.
The case was brought by the New York Civil Liberties Union in February on behalf of one child, but the lawsuit seeks to represent a larger class of similarly situated children.
The NYCLU says the Office of Refugee Resettlement has required children who have spent time in more restrictive custodial settings to only be released with approval from the office's director.
An attorney for the agency argued that the requirement has not slowed the release of children.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018