Paul, Weiss Secures Relief for Pro Bono Clients at Hudson County Correctional Facility

Paul, Weiss, along with co-counsel ACLU of New Jersey, The Legal Aid Society and Bronx Defenders, secured relief for two pro bono clients who are ICE detainees at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in New Jersey.

In the first case, Judge Kevin McNulty of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted a preliminary injunction ordering the release of our client, who suffers from a congenital heart condition and recently tested positive for COVID-19. In the second case, Judge Esther Salas of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted, in part, our petition for a temporary restraining order on behalf of our client, who suffers from hypertension and other underlying medical conditions, and who has been detained by ICE for almost 11 months. Judge Salas ordered that our client receive an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge within seven days, and reserved judgment on the remainder of our petition until after the bond hearing.

The victories are part of Paul, Weiss and co-counsel’s ongoing efforts to protect nine immigrants detained at ICE facilities from the risks of COVID-19 by filing habeas petitions, along with briefs and declarations in support of expedited relief. Our clients all have medical conditions that place them at higher risk for severe illness or death if they contract COVID-19. Detainees at the Hudson facility are forced to isolate in their cells (sometimes with a cellmate) for 23 hours per day, and share unsanitary common areas with other detainees in the short time that they are allowed out of their cells. Over 125 inmates, detainees and staff members have been infected with COVID-19 at the Hudson facility; five staff members there have died from COVID-19.

The Paul, Weiss team includes litigation counsel Farrah Berse, pro bono counsel Emily Goldberg, associates Johan Tatoy, Nina Kovalenko, Ameya Ananth, Makiko Hiromi, Phoebe King, Richard Medina, Ethan Stern and Margaret Sun. The matter is supervised by litigation partner Walter Ricciardi.