A Connecticut woman joined a class action lawsuit accusing the federal government of holding her family in prolonged detention to deter asylum seekers from coming to the U.S.
The lawsuit accuses the government of putting up roadblocks to keep children in detention longer. Kayla Vazquez, a plaintiff who lives in Hartford, said her husband’s 17-year-old cousin fled violence in Honduras, and she's been trying for four months to get him out of detention.
“His mother reaches out to me, asking what’s going on and when her son is going to be with us. Most of the time I don’t have anything to say to her because we don’t know ourselves,” Vazquez said.
The Trump administration said it is protecting vulnerable children by screening potential sponsors. According to a memo leaked last week, the administration explored separating families long before its "zero tolerance" policy took effect...as a way to curb people from seeking asylum.
