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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A federal judge in Alexandria is holding an emergency hearing Friday involving a pregnant woman and her young son from Ghana who have been detained at Dulles International Airport for more than a week.
What we know:
The ACLU of Virginia is representing a 38-year-old woman from Ghana and her 4-year-old son, who are being held at a detention facility at Dulles Airport.
Annabella Gyasi arrived last Tuesday at Washington Dulles International Airport ahead of an appointment she had arranged for her son, who was born with malformed hands, at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, according to an emergency petition filed by the ACLU of Virginia.
According to the family’s attorneys, the pair traveled to the United States with valid visas in order for the child could receive medical treatment for a deformity affecting his hands.
The ACLU says the family has been detained for more than a week.
Attorneys also allege the mother was forced to sign a deportation order in exchange for food and say she has been hospitalized twice while in custody due to pregnancy-related complications.
Immigration officials deny allegations of mistreatment.
According to the government, the woman admitted she was seeking asylum after arriving in the United States.
What's next:
The emergency case is now before a federal court in Alexandria.