A federal judge ruled on Friday that a pregnant lady and her 4-year-old boy from Ghana could not stay another night at a Washington, D.C.-area airport where they had been detained for more than a week.
Anabella Gyasi came at Dulles International Airport on May 19 with a valid tourist visa to bring her son to the United States for medical treatment, but she has been detained in a holding room by Customs and Border Protection since then, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
ACLU-VA Executive Director Mary Bauer applauded the decision, saying, “Today the court ordered in no uncertain terms that Ms. Gyasi and her son are not to spend another night at Dulles Airport.”
“Ms. Gyasi’s health and the viability of her pregnancy have both been endangered for more than a week as a result of the Trump administration’s dangerous and unlawful detention practices,” Bauer said, referring to the administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
“While we’re relieved that Ms. Gyasi and her son will soon be free from this nightmare, no one should be subjected to the inhumane conditions they endured,” Bauer continued.
Gyasi was on her way back to Ghana on Friday with her kid. Gyasi and her son are being held “despite long-standing regulations and policies requiring that certain at-risk individuals, such as pregnant women and children, be released,” according to the ACLU’s habeas petition filed on Tuesday.
Additionally, the petition cited a court settlement that mandates the release of minors from jail within 72 hours.
According to the habeas petition, the 38-year-old mother initially took her 2-year-old son to the United States in 2024 to consult a specialist for medical problems affecting both of his hands.
Gyasi was informed that her son was too young for corrective surgery on that visit.
According to her attorneys, Gyasi planned to fly using the same tourist visa she had previously used in order to attend a pre-operative appointment at a children’s hospital in Ohio earlier this month.
Gyasi was in CBP custody at Dulles, according to a Department of Homeland Security official who told ABC News on Thursday that she “will remain in custody pending her immigration hearing.”
The DHS spokeswoman referred to the claims regarding her custody circumstances as “false.”
According to DHS, “Everyone in CBP custody, including this individual, has access to appropriate care, including medical evaluation by a doctor, medication, and food.”
Source: newsthemegh.com