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Paul, Weiss and ACLU Secure Release of 13 More Individuals in Immigration Detention Litigation
- Client News
- November 30, 2020
On November 30, December 11, December 16 and December 18, Paul, Weiss, along with co-counsel ACLU Fund of Michigan and ACLU Foundation National Prison and Immigrants’ Rights Projects, secured the release of 13 additional ICE immigration detainees held at the Calhoun County Correctional Center in Battle Creek, Michigan.
To date, 52 vulnerable detainees have been released, all of whom have underlying medical conditions that put them at high risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19. These releases are the result of a bail process required by Judge Judith E. Levy of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after certification of a medically vulnerable sub-class of immigration detainees at Calhoun. The released detainees are returning to family or friends, where they can safely practice social distancing and other self-protective measures.
These victories are part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by Paul, Weiss and co-counsel on behalf of a class of all detainees at Calhoun. The complaint seeks immediate release and/or declaratory relief for the class, asserting that Calhoun is not designed or equipped to handle the extraordinary public health crisis presented by COVID-19. ICE has appealed 28 of the releases thus far to the Sixth Circuit.
The Paul, Weiss team includes litigation partners Mark Mendelsohn and Jeannie Rhee, counsel Rachel Fiorill and Peter Jaffe, and associates Eric Abrams, Akila Bhargava, Jacob Braly, Emily Cox, Michael Donohue, Jessica Finberg, Kate Gadsden, Darren Gardner, Joseph Granzotto, Aaron Haier, Becky Lockert, Sarah Maneval, Bethlehem Mebratu, Ocasha Musah, Breanne Palmer, Samuel Prose, Edward Robinson, Oleg Shik, Jonathan Silberstein-Loeb, Marc Walkow and Alex Willingham. Nicholas La Forge, Ashley Martinez, Robert Borek, Jae Hee Han, Trevor Hill, Tamara Kogan and Amina Rana from the Managing Attorney’s Office, as well as pro bono counsel Emily Goldberg and associate Jeremy Benjamin, provided invaluable support.