From the time a Florida immigrant is placed in detention to the time his or her case is fully adjudicated, many months or even years might pass. A 19-year-old male has been in detention for approximately two years. During that time, he confided in a licensed therapist regarding many atrocities he had experienced as an unaccompanied minor who had entered the United States. U.S. immigration law officials somehow learned of the issues the teen discussed with his therapist, and he is now at risk for immediate deportation.
The young man believed that everything he was talking about with the therapist was going to be kept confidential. However, it is not illegal for licensed therapists to share information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, although most therapists would agree that doing so would violate patient/therapist confidentiality. In this case, the teenager was appearing via video at a hearing he was hoping would end with the court’s approval of his request for asylum.
Instead, the judge explained that the U.S. government wanted the teenager to be deported after learning that he had admitted during therapy sessions that he has sold illegal drugs. He also reportedly confessed that he had witnessed torture and dismembering of several people. As a youth, the young man in question requested asylum in the United States because of physical abuse, neglect and gang affiliation that placed him in imminent danger in his country of origin.
An ICE representative stated that the U.S. government believes the 19-year-old is a risk to public safety. The teen reportedly told his therapist that he fears returning to his country of origin because those who run away from gangs as he did are typically caught and murdered upon their return. Any Florida immigrant who is worried about asylum or deportation issues may reach out for immediate legal support by requesting a meeting with a U.S. immigration law attorney.
