One lawyer represented four respondents, while the rest represented themselves.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency assistant chief counsel Heith M. Kaneshige represented the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Attorney Steven Woodruff represented Danilo Rejano, Mei Wen Wu, Minglong Li, and Zhoumin Wang.
The other respondents were Jian Guo, Guangxu Jin, Fu Chen, Meng Yang Yu, Xiu Hong Luo, Jian Guo Zhang, Zhen Xiu Huang, Jiao He, and Marlon Deleon Hernandez.
Except for Rejano and Hernandez, all are Chinese nationals.
Anderson, who is from Los Angeles, California, recalled the previous reading of the respondents’ rights from the maiden hearing conducted by Immigration Judge J. Daniel Dowell, from Miami, Florida, last Dec. 16, 2009.
Anderson further explained to the respondents, through interpreters, their right to counsel of their choice at no expense to the U.S. government.
He told them that they can also represent themselves.
The court gave the respondents 10 days to review the charging document and to start accepting pleadings.
The next hearing was scheduled for March 24, 2010.
Anderson reminded the respondents to attend the hearing with or without their counsel or they “shall be removed or deported.”
