Defendants in diapers? Immigrant toddlers ordered to appear in court alone

[TomCADem]

Source: MSN/USA Today

As the White House faces court orders to reunite families separated at the border, immigrant children as young as 3 are being ordered into court for their own deportation proceedings, according to attorneys in Texas, California and Washington, D.C.

Requiring unaccompanied minors to go through deportation alone is not a new practice. But in the wake of the Trump administration’s controversial family separation policy, more young children – including toddlers – are being affected than in the past.

The 2,000-plus children will likely need to deal with court proceedings even as they grapple with the ongoing trauma of being taken from their parents.

“We were representing a 3-year-old in court recently who had been separated from the parents. And the child – in the middle of the hearing – started climbing up on the table,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of Immigrant Defenders Law Center in Los Angeles. “It really highlighted the absurdity of what we’re doing with these kids.”

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/defendants-in-diapers-immigrant-toddlers-ordered-to-appear-in-court-alone/ar-AAzgmKh?li=BBnbcA1

[Brother Buzz]

1. Did you say youts?

[kag]

6. One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies.

We could use Vinnie right now.

[Corgigal]

8. I meet Fred Gwynne

after a performance he was appearing in, cat on a hot tin roof. He played big daddy, I believe.
He was standing outside bumping cigarettes, such a nice man. Just a right time, right place story I won't forget.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Maybe Trump will nominate Herman Munster?

That makes as much sense as anything else he's done...

[babylonsister]

2. So horrific. Another way to create terrorists. nt

[JDC]

11. So right

[forgotmylogin]

3. "Let the record show, the claimant answered 'ba-ba-ba-ba BAH.'"

[world wide wally]

4. I just wish for these kid's sake that Guiliani would be the prosecutor

[EndGOPPropaganda]

5. Administration of ideologue assholes.

The GOP is the party of billionaires and suckers, mostly morons who buy the billionaire lies.
We will take the country back by voting in November.

[Solly Mack]

7. Sick, sick country

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. The word evil has been so overused by the x-tian right it loses meaning

right up to now.

there is a time for prayer, there is a time for curses.

[Moral Compass]

9. Kafka don't got nothing on us

[Sophia4]

12. Trump should be required to attend an immigration court for a full day.

Toczylowski is right. Immigration court is an absurd place for children of any age.

[Doreen]

14. No, he would just sit there with that sickening grin on his face and throw insults to the

children all day. He would just sit there and tweet to his deplorables that these children were evil and future terrorists and rapists and deserve exactly what they are getting.

[bdtrppr6]

13. totally asinine

Who in their right fucking mind would put a three year old in a trial situation? My brilliant ten year old wouldn't know what to do in this case. Actually, would you be able to?

I think partially what is occurring is the exposure of stupid portions of our "procedures" in handling these cases. Nothing new, even for Two Scoops, just exponentially being abused right now.

Oh well.

[sarcasmo]

16. The new America, and it's royally Fucked.

[scipan]

17. with or without a lawyer to represent them?

Immigration judge insists three-year-old children are capable of learning the law and representing themselves in court

Senior Justice Department official Jack Weil made the claim during testimony
He is acting as an 'expert witness' in case between Justice Department and ACLU
ACLU claims department violates Constitution by not giving children attorneys
Weil claimed they don't need attorneys and can speak for themselves in court

A longtime immigration judge is under fire after he insisted that three-year-old children were capable of learning the law and representing themselves in court.

Senior Justice Department official Jack H Weil made the shocking claims while giving testimony during a court case regarding whether immigrant children should be given taxpayer-funded attorneys.

'I've taught immigration law literally to three-year-olds and four-year-olds,' he said. 'It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of patience. They get it.'

'It's not the most efficient, but it can be done.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5880063/Immigration-judge-insists-3-year-olds-represent-court.html

[haele]

18. Hey, Weil. Just because college students act like three and four year olds isn't the same.

'I've taught immigration law literally to three-year-olds and four-year-olds,' he said. 'It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of patience. They get it.'

'It's not the most efficient, but it can be done.

'

"It takes a lot of time." Really?

I would think that to teach the average very young child a high school or college subject at that level would probably take a good ten years - and that's if there's no language barrier to begin with. Even a three year old that's a savant would need at least another three years just to become competent enough to react to other people's verbal/physical cues and be able to ad lib. From what I've observed, around the age of six is just old enough to start picking up cues and not to just copy or mimic what's going around.

So, he's used to waiting five or six years while he's "literally" teaching three and four year olds immigration law? Or is he just spending a half hour or so grooming kids who can barely speak to give him whatever answer he wants in court later to justify sending them back over the border by themselves to get murdered or trafficked after he's already kicked their parents out of the country.

Haele