August 14th 03, 06:47 PM
Guatemalan Woman Wants Nebraska To Return Her Children
State Supreme Court Will Hear Case In October
POSTED: 11:39 a.m. CDT August 14, 2003
UPDATED: 11:44 a.m. CDT August 14, 2003
LINCOLN, Neb. -- A Guatemalan woman who was deported after seeking asylum
in the United States is battling the state of Nebraska to regain custody of
her two young children.
The Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest and the state's Foster
Care Review board say Nebraska officials were wrong to take custody of
Mercedes Santiago-Felipe's children before her deportation more than two
years ago.
Appleseed lawyer Milo Mumgaard said once she was deported, the judge and
the legal system treated her as if she had abandoned her children. He said
the ruling was as if they said she walked away from her kids.
Lawyers on the other side argue that Santiago-Felipe has made no attempts
to contact state officials or her children since being deported and that
the children seem well-adjusted in their foster home. Furthermore, they
said, Santiago-Felipe's son has said he is scared of his mother.
The Nebraska Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case in October.
http://www.theomahachannel.com/family/2405865/detail.html
State Supreme Court Will Hear Case In October
POSTED: 11:39 a.m. CDT August 14, 2003
UPDATED: 11:44 a.m. CDT August 14, 2003
LINCOLN, Neb. -- A Guatemalan woman who was deported after seeking asylum
in the United States is battling the state of Nebraska to regain custody of
her two young children.
The Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest and the state's Foster
Care Review board say Nebraska officials were wrong to take custody of
Mercedes Santiago-Felipe's children before her deportation more than two
years ago.
Appleseed lawyer Milo Mumgaard said once she was deported, the judge and
the legal system treated her as if she had abandoned her children. He said
the ruling was as if they said she walked away from her kids.
Lawyers on the other side argue that Santiago-Felipe has made no attempts
to contact state officials or her children since being deported and that
the children seem well-adjusted in their foster home. Furthermore, they
said, Santiago-Felipe's son has said he is scared of his mother.
The Nebraska Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case in October.
http://www.theomahachannel.com/family/2405865/detail.html