A judge has ordered prompt detention hearings for any teenagers who entered the United States under the unaccompanied-children program and are being detained because of alleged gang affiliations.
The ruling by a federal judge in Northern California immediately impacts three teenagers who were taken into custody on Long Island earlier this year. But American Civil Liberties Union attorney William Freeman says the judge's ruling could affect two dozen or more teenagers yet to be identified.
Freeman says Judge Vince Chhabria has ordered federal authorities to promptly identify the exact number of detainees.
In the meantime, the three teens who were detained in New York have been granted immigration hearings by next Wednesday.
The detentions come amid a nationwide crackdown on suspected gang activity, including on Long Island.
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