How One Judge Has Taken Center Stage In The Immigration Crisis
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw has stepped into the spotlight after setting ambitious deadlines for HHS to reunite separated families. Media outlets take a look at how he got there, and how he's holding federal officials accountable.
The Associated Press:
Judge, Calm In Court, Takes Hard Line On Splitting Families
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw appeared conflicted in early May on whether to stop families from being separated at the border. He challenged the Trump administration to explain how families were getting a fair hearing guaranteed by the Constitution, but also expressed reluctance to get too deeply involved with immigration enforcement. "There are so many (enforcement) decisions that have to be made, and each one is individual," he said in his calm, almost monotone voice. "How can the court issue such a blanket, overarching order telling the attorney general, either release or detain (families) together?" (Spagat, 7/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Watchdog, Enforcer, Coach: The Unusual Role Of Judge Dana Sabraw
It’s a busy time for U.S. District Judge Dana Makoto Sabraw. On Friday in San Diego, he presided over jury deliberations in a criminal case against a man trying to prove he isn’t an illegal alien from Mexico but a California-born American citizen. And on Monday, Judge Sabraw is overseeing jury selection in an Apple Inc. patent dispute. Those matters come on top of what is by far the biggest case of his career: the legal effort to reunite thousands of migrant parents and their children. (Gershman, 7/23)
In other news —
The Hill:
Chicago Detention Facility Under Investigation Following Allegations Of Abuse Of Migrant Children
An Illinois shelter housing migrant children separated from their parents at the southern border is under federal investigation for allegations of child abuse. The Casa Guadalupe shelter in the Chicago suburbs told The Washington Post on Friday that the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services have each launched investigations. (Gstalter, 7/21)
