Mother Sues ICE Contractor for Jailing Her and Her Baby in a Hotel Room
The lawsuit alleges that the contractor MVM Inc. and the hotel chain Sonesta detained the family for profit. The post Mother Sues ICE Contractor for Jailing Her and Her Baby in a Hotel Room appeared first on The Intercept .
Valentina Galvis, a mother from Colombia, has filed a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractor MVM Inc. and the hotel company Sonesta International Hotels Corporation for falsely imprisoning her and her 23-month-old son for five days. The lawsuit, filed on September 29, alleges false imprisonment, among other counts, following an investigation by Injustice Watch and The Intercept.
Galvis and her infant were confined to a hotel room at the Sonesta Chicago O'Hare Airport Rosemont without communication to the outside world. Galvis is seeking over $50,000 in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages, and a jury trial. The lawsuit accuses both MVM and Sonesta of engaging in a civil conspiracy by using the hotel room as a detention cell for profit.
One of the suit's claims is that the companies took advantage of the family's situation, causing physical, emotional, and caregiving harm to Galvis and her child. Despite Sonesta's statement that it does not condone illegal behavior, the company declined to comment on the lawsuit. Galvis remains at risk of deportation, as her asylum claim is still pending in immigration court.
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