Posted September 24th, 2020.
September 24, 2020, Washington, DC – Sanford Heisler Sharp was honored last night at the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition Virtual Awards Gala: Focused on Freedom with the “2020 Impacting Justice Award” for the firm’s partnership with CAIR, the ACLU of Maryland and the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project in securing a victory for detained immigrant men and women in the case Dubon Miranda et al. v. Barr et al.
“We are thankful for the opportunity to work with CAIR in their important mission to ensure equal justice for all immigrant adults and children at risk of detention and deportation in the Capital region area and beyond, and are honored to be recognized by CAIR for our work in the Dubon Miranda matter,” said David Sanford, chair of Sanford Heisler Sharp. “I am extremely proud of the hard work and dedication that our attorneys consistently demonstrate, and their commitment to litigating public interest and social justice issues.”
Sanford Heisler Sharp attorneys Deborah Marcuse, Saba Bireda, Whittney Barth, and Lucy Zhou and senior legal assistant Carol Harding filed a preliminary injunction motion on behalf of a class of immigrants in federal court in Maryland to bring a halt to unconstitutional bond hearings in Baltimore Immigration Court. One of the issues at stake was the failure of the immigration judges to consider an immigrant’s financial situation when issuing bond amounts. The injunction was granted, and the judge ordered the Baltimore Immigration Court to hold new bond hearings for detained immigrants whose detention was not properly justified at previous hearings, as well as constitutionally adequate bond hearings for immigrants detained in the future. The Court cited, among other things, the COVID-19 outbreak as a potential hazard to some detainees.
Marcuse, Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp's Baltimore office, noted that, “The civil rights of immigrants in our society have been attacked from many sides, but we need to at least have fairness in our courts when immigrants present for hearings. Our outstanding team was honored to work with CAIR on this case, which will result in fair bond hearings for immigrants detained by ICE, and will allow many more immigrants to be released to their families while awaiting their immigration proceedings.”
CAIR’s annual signature event recognizes those whose service has been truly extraordinary. As noted by CAIR, “Sanford Heisler Sharp has been just such an extraordinary partner in the quest for justice for detained immigrant men and women. Thanks to the firm’s outstanding litigation efforts in Dubon Miranda v. Barr, individuals detained by ICE in Maryland finally have a fair shot at securing bond– an issue that took on even more urgency as COVID-19 overran ICE detention centers. The decision in this case was a true game changer and will result in significantly more immigrants being released and able to go home to their families as they await their immigration court hearing. All of us at CAIR Coalition are deeply appreciative of Sanford Heisler Sharp firm’s dedication to our mission.”
About Sanford Heisler Sharp
Sanford Heisler Sharp is a national public interest class-action litigation law firm, which has offices in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, San Diego, Nashville, and Baltimore. Sanford Heisler Sharp focuses on employment discrimination, wage and hour, qui tam, criminal/sexual violence, and financial services matters. The firm represents select individual clients such as executives, lawyers in employment disputes, and whistleblowers. The firm has recovered over $1 billion for its clients. For more information about the firm, call 646-791-4848 or email [email protected]. More information about the firm and its successes can be found at https://sanfordheisler.com.
For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 646-791-4848, [email protected].