In South Burlington last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took three people into custody, even as the agents’ warrant was reportedly for someone else – a person who is still at large. Two of the three people detained had appearances in front of federal judges Monday. Pat Bradley was outside the Burlington courthouse, where protesters assembled.
Migrant Justice arranged a rally in front of the federal building Monday morning as a hearing was held for 31-year-old Johana Patin Patin, originally from Ecuador. She and her sister, who was also detained, are seeking asylum in the U.S.
U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford released Patin. Attorney Nathan Virag is part of the team defending her.
“The judge released her based on the fact that she’s not a danger to the community. She’s not a flight risk. She has two children, U.S. citizen children. She has a husband here. She has no criminal history. So, that’s the result is to release somebody who has no criminal history.”
A separate hearing was held Monday afternoon before Judge William Sessions regarding the detainment of 31-year-old Cristian Jerez Andrade of Honduras. He is being held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans and was not in court.
Sessions made no ruling Monday and ordered the Department of Homeland Security to bring Andrade to a hearing Tuesday at 10 a.m.