Concluding paragraphs to a March 22 ruling issued by Austin Federal Judge Sam Sparks–gm
The court is troubled by the evidence presented at yesterday’s hearing, in particular by the evidence that Plaintiff’s right to private consultation with their attorneys is severely limited. Even in the penitentiary, lawyers can see their clients privately. Whatever the inconvenience may be to ICE, CCA, or any other organization in the alphabet soup responsible for the Hutto facility, this court finds it hard to imagine a legitimate reason for rules giving immigrant detainees fewer rights to counsel than federal felons.
IT IS ORDERED that the restrictions on the number of clients that an attorney can see per visit and the requirement that children attend their parents’ attorney visits be REMOVED immediately.
Texas Civil Rights Review 