Judge Orders Release Of Marlborough 14-Year-Old Detained By ICE: Report

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A federal judge has ordered the release of a 14-year-old girl after being taken in by federal immigration agents on Tuesday in Marlborough and then taken to New York, according to WCVB.

The news outlet reported that Judge Leo T. Sorokin ordered that she be returned to live with her aunt. A lawyer, Andrew Lattarulo, told WCVB that she hadn’t committed a crime and has no criminal history.

You can read more from WCVB’s report here.

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep Lori Trahan, representing Massachusetts' 3rd Congressional District, issued a statement about the incident.

“A child with no criminal history was taken into custody in an apparent overnight attempt to use her as a hostage to coerce her father into turning himself in for deportation. As a mother to 15- and 11-year-old daughters, I am furious. This is not immigration enforcement. It’s the deliberate targeting of a child to inflict maximum pain on her family,” she wrote.

Rep. Trahan goes on to compare the situation to an incident in Minnesota two months ago, when she said that ICE detained a five-year-old under similar circumstances. Rep. Trahan added that she is demanding her immediate release, and she should be returned home to her family.

“To be absolutely clear, a 14-year-old girl should never have been detained in the first place. The fact that it took a federal court order to return a child to her family is a damning indictment of DHS policy. This case demands answers. What directives are being issued to agents authorizing the detention of minors? Who approved this? And what is DHS doing to ensure it never happens again?” she wrote in a later statement.

DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, said "“ICE did NOT arrest a 14-year-old girl—our officers RESCUED her from suspected gang members," in a statement sent to Patch.

The agency leader went on to add that ICE conducted a target operation against two suspected Massachusetts gang members, and the girl, who did not identify them as her legal guardians, was with them.

"Based on this information and to ensure the safety and security of the minor, she was placed in the custody of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement within hours of the initial encounter. As standard protocol, she will remain in ORR custody pending the identification of legal guardians," the statement read.

See Also:

• Marlborough Schools Appoints New Assistant Superintendent
• Marlborough Opens Applications for Summer Internships