Crime & Safety
Nine-Year-Old Girl Illegally Detained By Border Patrol: Lawyers
The girl's 10-day detention violates an established precedent that limits a minor's time in custody, her lawyers say.
SAN DIEGO, CA — A nine-year-old girl seeking asylum from El Salvador has been held for 10 days in a San Diego County Border Patrol station, according to a court filing by her lawyers submitted Saturday.
That duration violates an established precedent that limits a minor's stay in Border Patrol custody to 72 hours, KPBS reported. The girl's lawyers also said she hasn't been given any medical treatment for an illness she contracted at the Border Patrol station.
The girl and her mother had initially been ordered to return to Mexico as part of a new Trump administration policy that requires asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their claims are pending. But at an Oct. 4 court hearing, Border Patrol decided to keep the mother and daughter at the station while preventing them from meeting with their lawyers, the court filing alleges.
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The court filing is asking Border Patrol to release the girl and her mother from custody while they await their next court hearings.
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