Several hundred attorneys, from a variety of backgrounds and specialties, came to JFK airport over the weekend to help support the release of dozens of detained individuals affected by President Trump’s Executive Order.
As of Sunday, January 29, 2017, around 7 PM, the total number of people that were detained at JFK was as high as 52. Up to twenty of these individuals remain detained and two have been confirmed deported. As flights arrived throughout the day, and as detainees were processed, the numbers continued to fluctuate. Of the individuals who are still detained, four are reported to have been at JFK airport for at least 24 hours. Despite the widespread understanding that Green Card holders were not going to be detained, there was a mix of green card holders, visa holders, and family members of United States Citizens.
A 65-year-old Sudanese woman with diabetes, a Green Card holder, was detained upon her return from a trip to Cairo for a medical procedure and Sudan to visit her family.
Kyle Dandelet, Senior Staff Attorney at the Sanctuary for Families, Immigration Intervention Project, who represented the 65-year-old woman, said, “I don’t even know what [this] means to me yet. It was great to see so many fellow attorneys coming out, [but] incredibly depressing waiting with the family. There was a terrible lack of information.”
Another case involved a 75-year-old woman from Libya with Parkinson’s disease. She has a pending Green Card application and was detained upon her arrival to JFK. She was on her way back from seeing her sister in Libya, who was terminally ill and died during the visit. She had been granted permission to travel due to her sister’s illness, yet she was still detained upon her return.
Lawyers are being organized around the country with the help of the Urban Justice Center, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Civil Liberties Union, and other organizations willing to help.
If you have a family member who is currently being detained at the airport or you know someone who is currently being detained and you need emergency help only, call 844-326-4940 to speak to a volunteer attorney now at JFK International Airport.
Photo credit: Vanessa Liu
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