Five-year-old Helen signs away right to see a judge
SAN JUAN, RGV – This is the story of a five-year-old girl and the importance of her signature.
The Trump Administration placed great importance on the legal “signature” of Helen, a five-year-old girl from Honduras, because it gave up her right to have a lawyer and have her case reviewed by a judge.
“Basically, when she first arrived, she requested a hearing before a judge, and the government did nothing. Instead, a month later, they gave her another document where she withdrew her preview request to see a judge. And this time, someone checked the withdraw box. So, it never went to a judge. Then, I had to fight and request it for her,” said Eugene Delgado, La Unión del Pueblo Entero’s immigration attorney.
Delgado said of the federal officials reviewing Helen’s case: “They talked to her and told her what she was signing, but how are we going to believe that a five-year-old girl can know what she was signing? It is ridiculous that the government believes that children can defend themselves or that they can understand their rights.”
Helen was detained close to McAllen on July 13 of this year. “They detained her family, her grandmother, her uncle, her aunt and her cousin who is a nine-month-old baby,” according to Delgado.
https://riograndeguardian.com/five-year-old-helen-signs-away-right-to-see-a-judge/
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