Bail for women at center of Baltimore ICE holding room lawsuit up in the air
The women are at the center of a federal class-action lawsuit against ICE holding room operations in downtown Baltimore.
According to their attorneys, the women were held illegally by ICE in "inhumane" holding rooms at the George Fallon Federal Building, which is a claim ICE disputes.
The motion to release, filed by The Amica Center for Immigrant Rights on Monday, will be one of several motions discussed and decided upon at a hearing scheduled for July 29.
U.S. District Court Judge Julie Rubin said expediting the bail of the two plaintiffs would be "damn near impossible" given time and logistical constraints.
After she made her decision, Rubin also said, "I'm not smelling exceptional circumstances from these papers."
She prefaced her comment as not her official position on the matter, and she will wait to hear more at the July 29 hearing.
Amelia Dagen, a staff attorney for The Amica Center, disagreed with that notion outside the courthouse. She said the plaintiffs have been receiving inadequate medical care since being in ICE custody.
"They both have children and elderly parents that they are caring for, so there are exceptional circumstances that would absolutely make them eligible for release on bail," Dagen said.
The two women were initially detained in the Baltimore holding rooms at the George Fallon Federal Building in May, but have since been transferred out of state.
Judge Rubin has paused their deportation for as long as this case goes on.
Another motion that will be discussed on July 29 is a motion for class certification, which would allow claims to be made by anyone who is currently, or in the future, detained in the holding cells.
There is also a motion for a preliminary injunction on the agenda. This was filed last month and, if granted, would order ICE to strictly follow its holding cell policies.
In its lawsuit, The Amica Center and the National Immigration Project (NIP) allege ICE "fails to meet basic human needs" for detainees and the agency is breaking its own rules.
It also alleges detainees are held well beyond the 12 hours that ICE policy dictates, saying the plaintiffs were held for 48 and 60 hours.
In court, a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice called the claims inaccurate.
ICE has defended its Baltimore operations, saying it is run in full compliance with federal laws, agency policies, and upholds the "well-being and dignity" of those in custody.
Dagen said the preliminary injunction is critical, as immigration enforcement continues to ramp up nationally.
"ICE is setting increasingly high quotas for themselves to arrest more and more of our members of the community, our family members," Dagen said. "That will mean that there will be more and more people stuck in holding rooms like the one in Baltimore, that are not designed for long-term residential use."
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