By Canadian Press

Judge to decide on order blocking Puerto Rican evictions

Jul 2, 2018 | 7:45 PM

BOSTON — A hearing has taken place on a federal judge’s restraining order temporarily blocking the evictions of nearly 1,700 Puerto Rican hurricane evacuee families from hotels across the U.S.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Hillman in Massachusetts heard plaintiff representatives and government attorneys speak Monday at a phone hearing.

A decision is expected late Monday afternoon. Judge Leo Sorokin of U.S. District Court in Springfield, Massachusetts, granted the temporary restraining order on Saturday. It extends the evacuees’ time in hotels through Thursday.

Sorokin says ending federal housing assistance vouchers could irreparably harm desperate hurricane survivors with nowhere else to go.

The Puerto Ricans arrived after Hurricane Maria last September. Their Federal Emergency Management Agency housing vouchers originally were set to expire at midnight June 30.

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This story has been corrected to show that the extension of housing is through Thursday, not midnight Tuesday.

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This story has been corrected to show it’s 1,700 Puerto Rican hurricane evacuee families, not 1,700 Puerto Rican hurricane evacuees.

Sarah Betancourt, The Associated Press