Pennsylvania girl held over a year in shelters after bystander encounter with police
Oct 5, 2026·Location: PA

A 13-year-old girl in Pennsylvania was placed in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody after law enforcement encountered her at the scene of someone else's arrest, even though she had been living with her family at the time. She was held in ORR custody in New York and Texas for more than a year, according to the attorney who worked on her case.
Sources
Related incidents
- New rule cuts refugees' time to appeal status termination to 10 daysOct 13, 2026
- Haitian trucker detained after reflector stop despite producing documentsOct 13, 2026 · IN
- Immigrants sue ICE for withholding property seized during civil detentionOct 13, 2026
- Transgender San Diego activist detained, home and car raided by ICEOct 13, 2026 · San Diego, CA
- Iowa hospital custodian and mother of four deported to Sierra Leone despite pending stay motionOct 13, 2026 · Florissant, MO
- Pastor detained after traffic stop, briefly pulled from deportation flight, then deported to HaitiOct 12, 2026 · York, PA