Rule Would Lower Standards of Care for Children in Immigration Detention
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Trump administration posted proposed regulations that would overturn protections for migrant children, at a great financial — and moral — cost to the nation.
The rule would allow long-term family detention, ending protections the federal government agreed to in the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement. In the proposed rule, the government acknowledges that its rationale contradicts previous federal court rulings.
“We cannot trust the Trump administration with the welfare of immigrant children,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “The administration acknowledges that it wants to eliminate safeguards and enable long-term family detention. This after its ‘zero-tolerance’ policy separated thousands of children from their parents.
“Especially for children and families, the government should employ true alternatives to detention, which have proved extremely effective and are better for taxpayers. To reduce backlogs, the government should add funding for immigration courts and hire more immigration judges.”
The rule is scheduled for publication Friday, with comment due by Nov. 6. The unpublished rule is posted here.