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| Afghan family detained by Ice in Los Angeles to be released, lawyer says | Afghan family detained by Ice in Los Angeles to be released, lawyer says |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| An Afghan family of five who traveled to the United States on special visas and were detained by immigration officials at the Los Angeles airport will be released on Monday, one of their lawyers said. | An Afghan family of five who traveled to the United States on special visas and were detained by immigration officials at the Los Angeles airport will be released on Monday, one of their lawyers said. |
| The mother, father and their three young sons, including a baby, arrived at Los Angeles international airport on Thursday for a connecting flight to Washington state, where they planned to resettle. Instead, they were detained by US immigration officials. | The mother, father and their three young sons, including a baby, arrived at Los Angeles international airport on Thursday for a connecting flight to Washington state, where they planned to resettle. Instead, they were detained by US immigration officials. |
| Homeland security officials have not said why the family was held, while immigrant advocates asserted in a court petition there was “absolutely no justification whatsoever”. | |
| Over the weekend, a federal judge issued a temporary order blocking federal authorities from removing the family from California and calling for a hearing on Monday afternoon on their case. | Over the weekend, a federal judge issued a temporary order blocking federal authorities from removing the family from California and calling for a hearing on Monday afternoon on their case. |
| Talia Inlender, senior staff attorney for Public Counsel, said immigration authorities had agreed to release the family from custody. The family will be allowed to remain in the country subject to an immigration review at a later time, said Inlender, one of a team of lawyers representing the family. | Talia Inlender, senior staff attorney for Public Counsel, said immigration authorities had agreed to release the family from custody. The family will be allowed to remain in the country subject to an immigration review at a later time, said Inlender, one of a team of lawyers representing the family. |
| A spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection, which screens travelers at airports, declined to discuss the case. A justice department spokeswoman also would not comment on the family’s situation. | |
| Earlier Monday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement that the agency would comply with the judge’s order “and all other legal requirements”. | Earlier Monday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement that the agency would comply with the judge’s order “and all other legal requirements”. |
| After being stopped at the airport, the father, who worked for the US government in Afghanistan and was able to obtain special immigrant visas for his family after intense vetting, was held at a detention center, his lawyers said. His wife and young sons were held at a hotel, they said. | |
| In addition to detaining the family, Customs and Border Protection prevented attorneys from communicating with them, lawyers said in court filings. | In addition to detaining the family, Customs and Border Protection prevented attorneys from communicating with them, lawyers said in court filings. |
| Becca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project, declined to discuss the type of work the father did for the US government but said he spent years working on US military bases. | Becca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project, declined to discuss the type of work the father did for the US government but said he spent years working on US military bases. |
| The family’s names have not been released. | The family’s names have not been released. |
| The case comes as Donald Trump is stepping up immigration enforcement at US airports, on the border with Mexico and in many local communities. On Monday, Trump signed a reworked order of his previously blocked travel ban barring new visas for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries. Afghanistan is not one of them. | The case comes as Donald Trump is stepping up immigration enforcement at US airports, on the border with Mexico and in many local communities. On Monday, Trump signed a reworked order of his previously blocked travel ban barring new visas for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries. Afghanistan is not one of them. |
| Immigrant advocates have decried Trump’s efforts to block visitors from overseas and ramp up deportations of immigrants in the country illegally. On Monday, advocates in Los Angeles called for a rally to support a man who was arrested by immigration agents after dropping off his daughter at school. | Immigrant advocates have decried Trump’s efforts to block visitors from overseas and ramp up deportations of immigrants in the country illegally. On Monday, advocates in Los Angeles called for a rally to support a man who was arrested by immigration agents after dropping off his daughter at school. |