Rhode Island: Government Remains a Plaintiff in Detainee Case

New York Times: A judge has denied the federal government's request to be dismissed from a lawsuit over the death of an immigration detainee in Central Falls. Hiu Lui Ng died of liver cancer in 2008 while in the custody of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility. A lawsuit filed by his widow accuses Wyatt staff of abusing and medically neglecting Mr. Ng, a Chinese computer engineer from New York who had been detained for overstaying a visa. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged that he was mistreated but argued that the government could not be held legally responsible for the actions of a contractor. The jail had contracted with the government to house immigration detainees, though that arrangement was canceled after Mr. Ng's death. Judge William Smith of Federal District Court denied the government's motion Monday, saying the lawsuit "paints a harrowing picture" of government negligence.