ACLU sues over initial hearings for detained immigrants

SAN DIEGO (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the federal government to limit the amount of time that people can be held before seeing an immigration judge, saying many are held for months while waiting for an initial appearance.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court on behalf of three Mexicans at a San Diego immigration detention center.

The ACLU asks to represent all people who are held on immigration violations along California’s border with Mexico, an estimated 1,500 on any given day at the region’s two largest centers.

The lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump moves to significantly expand border and immigration enforcement, which is likely to further strain jails and courts.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department and Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment.

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3/10/2017 5:36:22 PM (GMT -7:00)