Arresting people and putting them under your custody is one of the most serious ways that the state can intervene in someone’s life. To do so comes with some obligations, namely the conditions of the custody have to be humane. And while there have been some gross examples of that duty not being held (see Alligator Alcatraz), the smaller breaks in responsibility are worth correcting too. Thankfully a district court judge’s concerns were in the right place once she realized that ICE tried to skip feeding a detainee in an immigration hearing. Oregon Live has coverage:
When a 22-year-old woman in immigration custody took the witness stand Monday and said she hadn’t had anything to eat since she was rousted at 2 a.m. for the drive from a detention center in Tacoma to federal court in Eugene, the judge immediately halted the hearing.
“OK, that’s unacceptable,” U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken said about eight minutes into the 9:30 a.m. hearing.
Aiken said she wouldn’t continue until federal officers fed her. The judge even offered up her own lunch so the woman wouldn’t go hungry.
Small gestures can make a world of difference when it comes to honoring human dignity — making sure someone has had something to eat that day is one of them.
‘Absolutely Appalled’: Judge Blasts ICE For Failing To Feed Detainee Before Court [Oregon Live]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
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