This story was co-published with New York magazine.
What was on track to be a routine deportation hearing in a New
York City immigration courtroom Thursday turned into an hours-long
administrative battle and a detailed airing of a teenager’s reasons for
informing on his gang, MS-13.
Amid a flood of attention brought to the case by a ProPublica and New York magazine report
published Monday, Judge Thomas Mulligan declined to issue a ruling.
Instead, he gave the teen’s lawyer a list of evidence and testimony he
wants to see before deciding the case in May. The judge seemed to be
sketching a path to a successful asylum claim, and mentioned an
alternative defense if asylum cannot be supported.
Henry, who asked that his last name be withheld, helped police and
the FBI arrest his fellow gang members on Long Island. He worked with
law enforcement for about a year, until immigration authorities arrested
him last August, using his own disclosures about gang membership to
justify his deportation. As a known informant, deportation likely means
death for Henry, whose cooperation with police is spelled out in an
unsealed Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo. After eight months in
detention with MS-13 members threatening his life, his case was looking
so hopeless that he decided to go public ahead of his final hearing.
Click here for the full article.
Source: ProPublica
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