MALDEF

COURT TO HEAR MALDEF REQUEST FOR RELEASE FROM IMMIGRATION DETENTION OF ASYLUM SEEKER DENIED ADEQUATE MEDICAL CARE


March 12, 2018


San Antonio, TX - Attorneys for a Salvadoran asylum seeker who has been denied adequate medical care for her mental health needs will be in court March 13th seeking her immediate release from immigration detention.

MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) filed a writ of habeas corpus petition on March 2 challenging the detention of Laura Monterrosa-Flores, who has been held since last May at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigrant detention facility in Taylor, Texas. The petition charges that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Hutto officials, including a psychiatrist, were aware that Ms. Monterrosa-Flores has post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder but failed to conduct a full psychiatric evaluation or to adequately treat her psychiatric conditions.

After months of denial of proper care, Ms. Monterrosa-Flores’ mental health deteriorated further when she was placed in solitary confinement. She attempted suicide in January.

MALDEF also filed a request for a temporary restraining order asking the court to order the defendants to provide adequate medical care for Ms. Monterrosa-Flores and to stop them from holding her in solitary confinement.

Who: Fátima Menéndez, Legislative Staff Attorney, MALDEF
Jack Salmon, Staff Attorney, MALDEF

When: Tuesday, March 13, 2018, at 10 a.m. CDT

Where: Judge Robert Pitman, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
United States Federal Courthouse, Courtroom 4, 5th Floor
501 West Fifth Street
Austin, TX 78701

What: Hearing on petition for writ of habeas corpus in Laura Monterrosa-Flores v. Daniel Bible, Charlotte Collis, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Lynda M. Parker

Read the habeas corpus petition here and the TRO request here.



Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Often described as the "Latino Legal Voice for Civil Rights in America" MALDEF promotes social change through advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access. For more information on MALDEF, please visit: www.maldef.org.

Copyright 2009 MALDEF — Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund