Florida: Agency Faulted In Detention of Mother.

Advocates for immigrants accused a private foster care agency of turning a Mexican mother of two toddlers, and her own parents, over to the local authorities to be deported. Lawyers working with the family said a private child welfare group providing services to the Florida Department of Children and Families reported the woman, Karen Arriaga, 19, to the local police, who have the authority to enforce immigration laws under a program known as 287(g) that the White House has promised to review, and arranged to have her detained during a supervised visit with her two young sons. Ms. Arriaga's parents were detained during another visit with the boys. A spokeswoman at the state agency said the police were contacted because of accusations of neglect, not in an effort to have the family deported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]