this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025

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4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer (gothamist.com)

submitted 6 days ago by moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

81 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/42834907

“The reason we’re here is because the government of the United States wants you to leave the United States,” Judge Ubaid ul-Haq, presiding from a courtroom on Varick Street, told a group of about a dozen children on a recent morning on Webex.

The parties included a 7-year-old boy, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a pizza cartoon, who spun a toy windmill while the judge spoke. There was an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister, in a tie-dye shirt, who squeezed a pink plushy toy and stuffed it into her sleeve. None of the children were accompanied by parents or attorneys, only shelter workers who helped them log on to the hearing.

Immigrant advocates and lawyers say an increasing number of migrant children are making immigration court appearances without the assistance of attorneys, which they say will lead to more children getting deported.

“That child will be ordered deported from this country — that could all happen without that child ever speaking with an attorney and given the opportunity to obtain representation,” Shah said. “The cruelty is really apparent to all of us out here in the field.”

holy shit

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[–] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 152 points 6 days ago

Yeah, this is the part where the Nazis were rounding up the gypsies. That's where we are right now.

[–] Hupf@feddit.org 21 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

The dystopia isn't even boring anymore.

Actual orphan crushing machine.

[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 114 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Maybe if these KIDS didn't WANT to be in Court they SHOULDNT have Committed CRIMES!

-Republicans who Voted for the 34 FELONIES Candidate!

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 33 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Why are they spending time in a courtroom when they could be in the mines?

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[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 93 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Jesus Christ, this is awful

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 27 points 6 days ago (5 children)

This has been going on for many years.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 40 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If that's true, let's be glad it's getting attention now.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 35 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It was getting attention in 2018 too. John Oliver even did an episode about it. People just don’t care as long as it isn’t them.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 9 points 5 days ago

I keep caring harder and harder but that just makes me more anxious.

Also, am Canadian so it’s not like I can do anything about it.

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 15 points 6 days ago

It's still awful, jesus

[–] dephyre@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

That makes it so much worse.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I feel like trump poured gas all over the dumpster fire

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[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 86 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Judge Ubaid ul-Haq should be ashamed for even presiding over that farce.

[–] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 79 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They can preside over it, but they should just have dismissed the case with prejudice for the government not providing a lawyer.

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 70 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (22 children)

Unfortunately the law does not obligate the govt to provide a lawyer.

Edit: In immigration court. This is not a criminal court.

Edit edit: The number of people unable to comprehend the difference is giving me insight into just how bad the education system is in the states.

Edit edit edit: Apparently me explaining the facts of the matter makes me a bad guy 🤦

[–] Initiateofthevoid@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You are correct, and ultimately the issue is that the laws shouldn't be different for immigration courts or immigration agents, because wrongful detention or deportation can be worse than wrongful imprisonment.

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 days ago

No argument there, this is a farce of a kangaroo court

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 48 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Jesus Christ, we're fucking monsters.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 29 points 5 days ago

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 22 points 5 days ago (8 children)

Judge: I will help you since you have no lawyer.

4 year old girl: No habla Engles

following translated:

Judge: Where were you born?

girl: I don't remember. I was too young.

Judge: If you show me a US birth certificate or SS ID card, I can help you not be deported.

girl: uhhh... what? what is words?

[–] uis@lemm.ee 7 points 4 days ago

SS ID card

This invokes some unpleasant aSSociations.

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[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 25 points 5 days ago

This isn't oniony. It's just sad.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 44 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Why are we not burning the white house down or dismantling any ICE facilities? 😬

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 17 points 6 days ago (5 children)

burning the white house down

Hey. That's our thing.

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[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 days ago

Too busy with protesting Tesla. 🙄

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[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 28 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ballsy move kids, but will be a big blow to the lawyering industry if they win.

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[–] aramis87@fedia.io 31 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'm just going to point out that Trump has declared that the official language of the United States is English, so I'm sure he's going to put in another executive order saying there shouldn't be any translators made available.

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago

I had to look it up.

You’re right.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-designates-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/

[–] Pauce@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 days ago

I feel crazy when I read these kinds of articles over the past few months, because I'll have a flash back to a few years ago where the exact same shit went down. And here they go again, this time cranked to 11. The show Orange is The New Black dedicated a whole subplot in their final season back in 2019 on how ICE was operating and what they were pulling. Immigration raids disguised as police raids, the indefinite detention of nonviolent migrants, inhumane conditions in holding, insufficient medical care/attention, etc.

One scene later in the season depicts the article above exactly, a group of children being put before a judge that they couldn't understand for many reasons; lack of representation, the language barrier, or because the kid is all of 2 years old.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 24 points 6 days ago

they did this in his first term. this is part of why he was elected. racists vote.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 17 points 6 days ago

It is from the old FBI/NSA Playbook. Put them in "court" but then make sure they have no representation as that would get in the way of the ruling.

[–] VasovagalSyncope@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

Human beings in positions of power need to die for the acts that will be committed under this fascist regime. Every person contributing to this happening has a name and an address.

[–] GhostPain@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago

RebMasel did a YT podcast on just this topic. It's as horrific as it sounds.

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