Multistate coalition suing Trump admin over plan to end the Flores Settlement Agreement

d the Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) announced the final rule allowing the termination of the Flores Settlement Agreement. The agencies believe the rule is necessary to address the increasing number of unaccompanied children and family units crossing the border into the United States.

The Flores Settlement Agreement sets the standards for the detention and release of unaccompanied children under immigration custody. The agreement requires the federal government to place minors in safe and sanitary facilities and provide them with drinking water, food and medical assistance and make a continuous effort toward family reunification. The agreement also requires the federal government to release children within 20 days.

The Trump administration’s final rule allows the prolonged detention of families with children in licensed facilities that meet the standards of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Arguments against the Trump final rule on Flores Settlement Agreement

On Monday, AG Becerra said, “This new Trump rule callously puts at risk the safety and well-being of children. It undermines a decades-old agreement reached in court by the federal government to prevent the unlawful detention of immigrant children. No child deserves to be left in conditions inappropriate and harmful for their age.”