PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal court has ordered a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in western Pennsylvania to provide detainees access to virtual court proceedings in New Jersey.
Last year, several detainees and immigrant rights groups sued federal authorities, including ICE, after multiple detainees missed criminal court dates in New Jersey because the Moshannon Valley Detention Center — located in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, owned by GEO Group and contracted by ICE — declined to give them virtual access or to transport them hundreds of miles to court dates.
The suit details multiple denials by ICE officials, often stating that Moshannon cannot accommodate teleconference, Zoom or other services in criminal court matters.
Many suffered fines, warrants, and bail penalties, all while those criminal cases moved forward without them. In some cases, detainees argued unaddressed criminal charges were used against them in detention proceedings or prevented them from receiving legal status in the United States.
One detainee’s attorney wrote to ICE that his client “cannot get released from detention until his case is resolved, and he also can’t get his case resolved until he is released from detention.”
A federal court for the western district of Pennsylvania ruled the detainees' rights were being violated and ordered Moshannon to provide virtual court access.
A spokesman for GEO Group referred questions to ICE. ICE officials and attorneys for the plaintiffs, which include victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, have not answered calls for comment.