SEATTLE — A federal judge in Seattle isn’t stopping the deportation proceedings of eight minors suing the federal government over legal representation.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly denied a preliminary injunction that was sought by the minors’ lawyers, saying the young immigrants haven’t exhausted their options through immigration court.
Zilly’s ruling Monday didn’t address the overall question of whether minors in deportation proceedings have the right to attorneys at government expense.
Advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project sued the federal government in July, saying the lack of legal representation violates Fifth Amendment rights.
The government wants the lawsuit dismissed. The judge plans to rule next month on the motion to dismiss and whether he has jurisdiction over the question of legal representation.
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