This is not my America.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is transferring immigrants arrested in Minnesota to jails in Texas, Louisiana and Colorado as the agency runs out of space in the three local jails contracted to provide beds for ICE detainees.
The practice is leading to delayed hearings and longer detention times — and sometimes panic for people stranded a thousand miles from home.
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But, she said, she could not hear his case that day because he was not being detained in Minnesota. If he wanted to be released, he would have to ask a judge in a Louisiana court.
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The man was scheduled for a hearing in Fort Snelling in late February, a few weeks after his arrest. He could have been released on bond then.
But the transfer led to a series of delays. By the time of his first hearing at the Conroe, Texas, court in mid-April, he will have been locked up for two months.
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Attorney Cameron Giebink had a client with no criminal record who was moved from Minnesota to Texas, had his hearing delayed two weeks and had to find his own way back home after being released on bond.
“This practice is delaying custody hearing by weeks in many cases, at significant cost to taxpayers and the prospective immigrants who often face significant costs as a result of the move,” Giebink said in an email.
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Mazzie told the Texas deputy to stay connected, though it would be a while before she got to the detainee there. And she explained she was somewhat glad Denver did not connect because it’s a “nightmare” when a bond hearing is scheduled from a place where she has no jurisdiction.
Legal counsel for the Denver detainee, who is a Mexican national, raised concerns. An attorney said their client was anxious to have a hearing “and so we’re chasing rabbits.”
“Exactly … same here,” Mazzie said.
‘I’m going crazy’: Delays, confusion as ICE moves Minnesota detainees across the country
Minnesota is running out of space to house ICE detainees, so some are ending up in jails in Texas, Louisiana and Colorado.
‘I’m going crazy’: Confusion as ICE moves MN detainees to other states
