LOS ANGELES (AP) — Immigrant advocates sued the Trump administration Tuesday for ending a free hotline that allowed detained immigrants to report concerns about custody conditions after it was featured on the show "Orange Is the New Black."
The nonprofit group Freedom for Immigrants, which has run the hotline since 2013 with a free phone line provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sued in federal court in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleged that the administration yanked the hotline in August after it was featured on the Netflix show, which drew attention to the group's criticism of detention conditions for immigrants.
"They cannot shut down this hotline in retaliation for the fact they don't like what Freedom for Immigrants is saying," said Moez Kaba, a partner at Hueston
