The News: What is Happening?
A 33-year-old Belarusian woman seeking asylum in the United States is asking a federal judge in Kansas to order her release from immigration detention, arguing that gaps in medical care have placed her at risk of a potentially life-threatening endocrine crisis.
Katsiaryna Bartko, who has a history of thyroid cancer, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since June and is being held at the Midwest Regional Reception Center in Leavenworth, Kan., a facility operated for ICE by the private prison company CoreCivic.
Her case is scheduled for a hearing on Sept. 4 before Judge Daniel D. Crabtree of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. In an Aug. 31 order appointing lawyers to represent her, Judge Crabtree said Ms. Bartko had brought a viable deprivation-of-medical-care claim, had raised serious concerns about her treatment and presented complex medical problems warranting expedited consideration.
The judge also noted that it was undisputed that testing on Aug. 11 showed worsening thyroid levels.
Ms. Bartko entered the United States in 2022 on a student visa after leaving Belarus, where she says she feared persecution because of her opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the government of Aleksandr G. Lukashenko. She applied for asylum in February 2023. Immigration officials have said her student status was terminated the following month.
The News is The Intellectualist’s series for consequential reporting on power, politics and the people shaping public life, with the context needed to understand why today’s events matter.
Premium membership unlocks the full Intellectualist portfolio:
History of the Present
Power and events before they become settled history.
One Person, One Vote
Voting rights, representation, reform and whose voice counts.
Reality Check
Evidence, falsehood and what survives contact with reality.
Thoughts & Ideas
Brian Daitzman on power, democracy, technology and the future.
The Cost of Money
Debt, rates, credit, currencies and the price of trust.
Bits & Bytes
Artificial intelligence, emerging technology and what comes next.
Members receive early access to major investigations and essays, deeper analysis before narratives harden, and expanding access to briefings, discussions, events and the editorial process behind The Intellectualist.
The first 1,000 members will be permanently recognized as Founding Members.
Know Earlier. Understand Deeper.
Save 33% on your first year.
