Paul, Weiss Contributes Key Evidence in ACLU Family Reunification Lawsuit

Paul, Weiss contributed key evidence in the ACLU’s federal lawsuit, In re Ms. L, backing the ACLU’s claim that separated migrant parents are being coerced into waiving rights to have their or their children’s immigration and asylum claims considered.

In recent days, the U.S. government has offered parents still separated from their children an election form advising them of their legal and reunification options. In a declaration, highlighted in media reports by Vice News, Vox, Bloomberg, and MSNBC, Paul, Weiss associate Laila Arand details the experiences of four parents separated from their teenage children. In each case, the parent alleged the forms were distributed to groups of parents with just one option – consent to immediate reunification followed by deportation – pre-checked. When they refused, they alleged that they faced a variety of threats and were taken away from their children a second time. 

The declaration is part of a suit the ACLU filed in June in federal district court in San Diego on behalf of a class of parents impacted by the Trump Administration’s recent policy of separating children and parents at the border. The court issued a nationwide injunction requiring family reunification, and has continued to oversee the government’s progress in reunifying families. The court also ordered the government to provide now-reunified families facing removal proceedings with information about their and their children’s legal options.

The matter was led by litigation partner Robert Atkins and associate Laila Arand. Pro bono associate BJ Jensen and litigation associate Eric Felleman provided drafting support.