Two immigrants detained in Chicago, Illinois, have filed a class-action lawsuit against top officials at the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that they were denied access to legal counsel and subjected to “inhumane and unlawful” treatment.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a US rights watchdog, announced the emergency lawsuit (PDF) on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listIt highlights deteriorating conditions at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview since President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown earlier this year.“Everyone, no matter their legal status, has the right to access counsel and to not be subject to horrific and inhumane conditions,” Alexa Van Brunt, the director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office and lead counsel on the suit, said in a news statement.“Community members are being kidnapped off the streets, packed in hold cells, denied food, medical care, and basic necessities, and forced to sign away their legal rights.”The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Pablo Moreno Gonzalez and Felipe Agustin Zamacona, are immigrants from Mexico who have lived in the US for more than 30 years. Both are currently detained inside the Broadview facility.Their suit names senior Trump officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Director Todd Lyons, as defendants.The complaint is the latest to allege abusive conditions and neglect at immigration facilities. A similar class-action suit was filed against the Trump administration in A …
