By John Q. Hosedrinker 
A Boston federal judge has mandated the release of a 13-year-old boy from ICE custody, citing concerns over his detainment. The judge’s order indicates the boy is being held with adult detainees and demands a justification for his arrest. A hearing before an immigration judge is scheduled by October 17th to consider bail for the boy. Due to the juvenile’s age, details surrounding his arrest remain undisclosed.
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Boston judge orders release of 13-year-old boy from ICE custody. This whole situation is just… well, it’s something else. You’ve got a 13-year-old, a minor, who, according to reports, was following the rules that allowed him entry into the country. Yet, somehow, he’s in the custody of ICE, and not just for a brief period, but for an extended stay. The initial reaction to hearing about this is: why? Why is this child being detained in the first place?
Judge Richard Stearns, in his order, clearly expressed the same sentiment. He instructed ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to release the boy by Tuesday, unless they could provide a legitimate reason for his detainment. The order also highlighted a very disturbing detail: the boy was apparently being held “presumably in the company of unrelated adult detainees.” That just adds another layer of concern. If there are no legitimate grounds for detaining the child, then why are they locking him up? And the fact that he’s with unrelated adults just raises the stakes. It’s a situation that leaves you questioning the motives and the overall treatment of this child.
The natural assumption is that the authorities would have no legitimate reason to kidnap the boy. Then, they put him in a cell with adults who have nothing to do with him. It’s hard not to wonder what they are trying to get away with. This whole scenario is very concerning, and it’s not a new concern. We have a right to be angry, sad, and confused. You can’t help but ask what kind of society imprisons children. The whole thing is just tragic, and the judge is ordering his release but is that actually going to work?
The way things are going, you start to imagine ICE getting away with whatever they want. It’s not just the overstepping, it’s the potential for even more egregious actions down the road. It is worth thinking of how they might be “trained,” and the possibilities that come with them being given free rein to do as they please. Some of the possibilities include the boy being deported, or at the very least being held far longer than what is right.
But then there are all the questions that follow, like what does “release” even mean in this context? Does it mean released into the care of a responsible party? Or into a situation where he is abandoned? ICE deals with a lot of rules, and minors are often involved. But are the appropriate rules being followed? The issue of why the boy was in custody in the first place is a major one. It just feels like we’re stuck in a cycle of injustice, where those in power aren’t held accountable. The whole system feels rotten, and it makes you wonder if we need to start over.
There’s a lot of doubt that the judge’s order will even matter. The government’s bureaucracy can be slow, especially over a weekend or holiday. The situation isn’t exactly helped by the general distrust in the system. Then, of course, there’s the concern about his safety. With ICE, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for them to use questionable methods. It’s hard to believe they’re acting in the best interests of the child.
You start to consider what could happen. Perhaps there will be a series of hearings with the judge. Hearings where people try to work out what happened and who will take the blame. It’s a sad situation. There is the very real possibility that things like this happen and there are no consequences. The fact is, ICE is violating a lot of laws and there is little to no effect on them. It is not out of the question for the child to disappear, possibly deported to a third-world country in Africa.
It’s difficult to ignore some of the comments about the nature of ICE. It brings to light the importance of context. The issue is not just a matter of detainment, but the safety and the protection of the child. It is hard to know, given how many laws they choose to ignore.
And, of course, you’ve got the cynicism, the dark humor, the resigned acceptance of the way things work. People are thinking what’s the point in the judge’s order. Even if it’s ordered, it’s hard to say it will happen. The boy could very well be deported, or kept in custody. The fact is, it seems like there will be no accountability.
It is impossible to ignore the accusations. Those are some very serious accusations. There are all sorts of bad possibilities when dealing with ICE. Some are even more disturbing than others. The whole situation is just another indication that the system is broken, and it needs some serious attention.