LOS ANGELES – A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration continues to infringe on the constitutional rights of detained immigrants by limiting their access to legal counsel at a downtown Los Angeles detention center. This ruling mandates that the government rectify the situation.
Immigrant advocacy groups had filed the lawsuit in July, accusing the administration of systematically targeting individuals based on their race amidst ongoing immigration reforms. These advocates alleged that immigrants were detained based on racial profiling and denied proper legal representation while held in the facility.
Judge Maame E. Frimpong's ruling builds on a temporary order issued in July, requiring that detained individuals have access to free and confidential phone calls with their attorneys. The government complied with some aspects of this order, including ensuring that attorney visits are permitted at least seven days a week for numerous hours. However, the latest ruling points out that the government has failed to comply fully, citing issues in notifying legal representatives of facility closures.
The judge emphasized the importance of this access: The Court has examined all of the new evidence presented by both sides and decides once again that the federal government is partially blocking access to lawyers, she stated in her order.
Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney with Public Counsel, reported ongoing issues where attorneys struggled to meet their clients due to the lack of proper notice of facility closures, limiting private discussions between lawyers and clients. He pointed out that some closures followed unrelated protests occurring far from the detention center and often resulted in detainees being moved to locations where lawyers could not visit.
The judge's reiteration of the need for accessible legal representation highlights the ongoing challenges faced by immigrants in detention, reaffirming that the government cannot continue to restrict access to legal counsel for vulnerable populations.
