Close X
Thursday, November 28, 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

    Stealthy Snake On The Loose In Metro Vancouver Conservation Area

    Stealthy Snake On The Loose In Metro Vancouver Conservation Area
    City of Burnaby staff saw the snake curled up on a road on Burnaby Mountain near Simon Fraser University around noon on Monday

    Stealthy Snake On The Loose In Metro Vancouver Conservation Area

    CTV Says Reporter Charged A Year After Arrest While Covering Ferguson Protests

    CTV Says Reporter Charged A Year After Arrest While Covering Ferguson Protests
    CTV says its Los Angeles bureau chief has been charged nearly a year after his arrest while covering the protests in Ferguson, Mo.

    CTV Says Reporter Charged A Year After Arrest While Covering Ferguson Protests

    Toronto Mayor Meets With Olympic Committee As City Weighs Bid For 2024 Games

    Toronto's mayor is one step closer to deciding whether the city will bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

    Toronto Mayor Meets With Olympic Committee As City Weighs Bid For 2024 Games

    Investigators Unable To Determine Cause Of Fire That Killed Four Manitoba Boys

    Investigators Unable To Determine Cause Of Fire That Killed Four Manitoba Boys
    WINNIPEG — Investigators say they are unable to determine the cause of a house fire in rural Manitoba that killed four boys who were between nine and 15 years old.

    Investigators Unable To Determine Cause Of Fire That Killed Four Manitoba Boys

    Sask. Gov Wraps Up Public Consultations On Farmland Ownership Restrictions

    Sask. Gov Wraps Up Public Consultations On Farmland Ownership Restrictions
    Saskatchewan's agriculture minister says almost all options are on the table as the government considers the future of farmland ownership restrictions in the province.

    Sask. Gov Wraps Up Public Consultations On Farmland Ownership Restrictions

    Man Who Found Knife Blade In Back Three Years After Stabbing Files Lawsuit

    Man Who Found Knife Blade In Back Three Years After Stabbing Files Lawsuit
    YELLOWKNIFE — A man from the Northwest Territories has filed a lawsuit against health officials claiming they failed to find a knife blade buried in his back for three years.

    Man Who Found Knife Blade In Back Three Years After Stabbing Files Lawsuit