Immigrant Advocates: Washington State and Detention Centre

immigrant advocates: Instead, U.S. immigration officials detained them and split them up, according to Brandon Sun. They planned to send the mother and children to a detention centre in Texas, but lawyers intervened over the weekend and got a federal judge to quash the transfer. The mother, father and their three young sons, including a baby, arrived at the airport Thursday for a connecting flight to Washington state, where they planned to resettle. Homeland Security officials haven't said why the family was held, while immigrant advocates asserted in a court petition that there was absolutely no justification whatsoever. Lawyers said the family never should have been subjected to such treatment after going through the more than yearlong process to obtain special immigrant visas, which are given to foreigners who work for the U.S. military in their countries, often risking their lives. Government officials said in a federal court hearing Monday that the family was given back their passports and visas and will be interviewed April 5 in Seattle to determine if they are eligible to use those visas to remain in the United States. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.