US: Indian woman seeking asylum separated from differently-abled 5-year-old child
What's the story
An Indian woman, who is seeking asylum in the US after she illegally crossed into America from Mexico, has been separated from her five-year-old differently-abled son. The Trump administration's controversial "zero tolerance policy" of separating immigrant parents and their children on the US border has resulted in the separation of nearly 2,000 children from their parents and guardians, sparking a public outcry. Here's more.
Details
Woman granted $30,000 bond by Arizona court
Bhavan Patel, 33, had been granted a $30,000 bond by an Arizona court on Tuesday, the Washington Post reported. However, it was not immediately clear if she was able to join her disabled son. This is the first known case of an Indian national who has been separated from her child in recent months under the "zero tolerance policy".
Information
Over 2,300 children of illegal immigrants separated from their parents
So far, more than 2,300 children have been separated from their parents after being arrested by the US law enforcement agencies after they illegally crossed the border. After a nationwide outrage, Trump signed an executive order that stopped the practice.
Efforts to reunite
Patel's son not doing well: Patel's attorney
"Her son is not doing well," said her attorney Alinka Robinson, as a telephonic translator relayed the proceedings to Patel in Gujarati, the Post reported. Robinson asked Judge Irene C Feldman to grant her client a $10,000 bond so she could reunite with her son. The prosecutor from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the court that Patel was a flight risk.
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Patel is escaping from political persecution in India
Patel fled political persecution in Ahmedabad, India, traveling to Greece and then Mexico before crossing the US border illegally with her disabled five-year-old son, Patel and her attorney said during a bond hearing.
Passage to US
Patel's brother arranged her passage to the US
The judge quizzed her about her path to the US. "An asylum officer had already found she had a 'credible fear' of being hurt or killed if she were sent back to India. She told the judge that her brother arranged her passage and that she never paid a smuggler," the Post reported. The judge, however, seemed skeptical and set bond at $30,000.
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Over 200 illegal Indians detained in four US detention centers
Recent media reports indicate that there are more than 200 illegal Indians mostly from Punjab and Gujarat in four federal prisons in Washington, New Mexico, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.