Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

22 Sikh Asylum-Seekers Go On Hunger Strike In Florida Jail, 9 Released

IANS, 12 Aug, 2015 12:27 PM
    Nine out of the 22 Sikh asylum-seekers on a hunger strike in a Florida jail demanding to be released while their asylum cases are evaluated have been set free, media reported.
     
    The nine were released on August 10 while the remaining 13 were still under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Broward Transitional Centre, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
     
    "Things should never have reached this extreme point," Latin Times newspaper quoted Shalini Agarwal, Florida staff attorney at ACLU, as saying on Tuesday.
     
    The 22 Sikh men were detained after arriving at the Texas border in May.
     
    The men began a hunger strike when they learned that they were denied a bond hearing, that could have released them from custody and sent to their family members in the US, until their asylum inquiry.
     
    "ICE needs to honour immigration enforcement priorities and use its prosecutorial discretion to not detain asylum seekers without bond, especially where they have demonstrated credible fear of persecution if returned to their home countries," Agarwal said.
     
    "Their granting of bond to some of these men is an important step, but there are many more detainees like them who should not be kept behind bars while their asylum proceedings are underway," she said.
     
    Some of the men may have been subjected to forced feeding and solitary confinement, a letter sent to ICE by the ACLU on August 6 said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    One winning ticket for $50-million jackpot in Friday's Lotto Max

    The ticket was purchased somewhere in Alberta.

    One winning ticket for $50-million jackpot in Friday's Lotto Max

    Experts Weigh In After Chris Hyndman's Mother's 'Sleepwalking' Suggestion

    Experts Weigh In After Chris Hyndman's Mother's 'Sleepwalking' Suggestion
    Glenda Hyndman told the Toronto Star that she believed her son fell to his death while sleepwalking on the terrace of the downtown Toronto home he shared with his professional and personal partner Steven Sabados. 

    Experts Weigh In After Chris Hyndman's Mother's 'Sleepwalking' Suggestion

    Police Investigate Horrific Stabbing Incidents In East Vancouver And Burnaby That Sent 4 To Hospital

    Police Investigate Horrific Stabbing Incidents In East Vancouver And Burnaby That Sent 4 To Hospital
     Police in Metro Vancouver are dealing with the aftermath of a violent Friday night after two separate stabbings sent four men to hospital.

    Police Investigate Horrific Stabbing Incidents In East Vancouver And Burnaby That Sent 4 To Hospital

    Indo-Canadian Man Gurnazbir Singh Sandhu, 25, Charged In A Major Calgary Drug Bust

    Indo-Canadian Man Gurnazbir Singh Sandhu, 25, Charged In A Major Calgary Drug Bust
    Sandhu, 25, and his accomplice Richard Julies Rysdale, 28 were arrested in from their Taradale city apartment with the help of Canada Border Services Agency

    Indo-Canadian Man Gurnazbir Singh Sandhu, 25, Charged In A Major Calgary Drug Bust

    UBC President Arvind Gupta Leaves Top Job After A Year As Interim President Takes Over

    UBC President Arvind Gupta Leaves Top Job After A Year As Interim President Takes Over
    The university says in a news release that Gupta will return to his academic career as a computer science professor at UBC

    UBC President Arvind Gupta Leaves Top Job After A Year As Interim President Takes Over

    B.C. Man Says He Killed Ex-girlfriend Because She Was Possessed By A Demon

    B.C. Man Says He Killed Ex-girlfriend Because She Was Possessed By A Demon
    Christopher Butler has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Deanne Wheeler

    B.C. Man Says He Killed Ex-girlfriend Because She Was Possessed By A Demon