A federal judge in Los Angeles issued on Saturday evening a temporary restraining order to prevent the mother and children from being transferred out of the state. Those visas were created by Congress for citizens in Iraq and Afghanistan who have helped the United States military or government as drivers, interpreters or in other jobs — work that often makes them targets in their home countries. But instead of being allowed to enter the United States, the family has been detained, according to the court papers. The judge did not order the family be released, but set a hearing in the case for Monday. Mem Fox, a best-selling children’s book author from Australia, described being held for questioning — also at Los Angeles International Airport — for several hours with no access to water or a bathroom, and was prohibited from using her cellphone.

Source: New York Times March 05, 2017 04:03 UTC