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ICE must allow detainees in downtown LA detention center to access attorneys, federal court rules
Federal agents guard outside of a federal building and ICE detention center in downtown Los Angeles during a demonstration in June.
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Spencer Platt
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
A federal judge has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to allow detainees at the basement of the detention center in downtown L.A. to access attorneys.
What does this mean? The court order issued Friday requires ICE officials to allow lawyers to visit the facility for at least eight hours a day and four hours a day on weekends and holidays. Federal law enforcement officials must also provide rooms where lawyers can meet with their clients in private, as well as allow confidential phone calls with attorneys that are not screened or recorded. The full ruling is here.
Why it matters: The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and Immigrant Defenders Law Center accused federal law enforcement of keeping people in the basement of the federal building and not allowing them to see or speak with legal counsel, as required by the Fifth Amendment.
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Background: Since June, federal immigration agents have conducted sweeps all across Southern California, including L.A. County. County officials and advocates have said those actions have created a climate of fear and disrupted daily life. Last month, the city of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency in response to the federal immigration enforcement.
Officials say: The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to LAist's request for comment.
Go deeper… on immigration enforcement and protests in Los Angeles.
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Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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