• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Thursday, May 26, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

US ordered to release children from detention centers due to COVID-19

byThe Millennial Source
June 29, 2020
in WORLD
US ordered to release children from detention centers due to COVID-19

Source: Worth Rises

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



On Friday, Judge Dolly Gee of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ruled that children held in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers for more than 20 days must be released by July 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ruling will apply to the unaccompanied minors in the US Office of Refugee Resettlement facilities and 124 children in three detention centers across the US, two of which are located in Texas and one in Pennsylvania.

The ruling will not apply to parents in the ICE detention centers.

According to ICE court filings revealed on Thursday, outbreaks have been reported in the two detention centers in Texas.

In the Kansas City center, 11 detainees, including children, have tested positive for the virus. At the center in Dilley, three parents and children were quarantined after two private contractors and an ICE official tested positive for COVID-19. In total, approximately 2,500 immigrants in the detention centers have tested positive.

Gee wrote in the ruling, “The family residential centers are on fire and there is no more time for half measures,” stating that “unevenly implemented written protocols” have led to the spread of the virus. 

To prevent an outbreak in the detention facilities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recommended social distancing, mask-wearing and medical treatment for those who tested positive for the virus.

Gee added, “Although progress has been made, the Court is not surprised that [COVID-19] has arrived at both the [Family Residential Centers] and [Office of Refugee Resettlement] facilities, as health professionals have warned all along.”

The judge’s ruling is part of the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, an agreement that has set national guidelines for the government’s treatment and release of children in ICE detention centers. The agreement also stipulates that in most cases the government must release children from detention within 20 days.

Each of the Trump administration’s previous attempts to end the agreement over the last two years has been blocked by Gee, which has prompted the administration to file an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. If successful, the appeal would allow the administration to detain children until the determination of their asylum status, a process that can take years to complete. 

Gee also stated in the ruling that ICE officials must release the children to “available suitable sponsors” in the US “or other available COVID-free non-congregate settings” provided they have the consent of their parents or guardians. 

However, in May when ICE officials asked parents of detained children to choose between keeping their children or turning them over to a sponsor during a “routine parole review consistent with the law,” most parents chose the former. 

Democratic lawmakers criticized ICE’s move and demanded further explanation in a letter to the acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and acting ICE Director Matt Albence.

“The Administration must stop using this public health crisis as a means for implementing unlawful and inhumane immigration policies. In these extraordinary times, human suffering need not be compounded by locking up families or instilling fear in the hearts of migrant parents,” read the letter.

Holly Cooper, co-director of the University of California, Davis Immigration Law Clinic and an attorney representing Flores agreement class members, stated that ICE has not released children from detainment “because in order to do it in a humane way, they have to release the child with a parent.”

“What we’re hoping is that ICE will do the humane thing and not separate any child from their parents because that’s what the children want. That’s what our class members want. That’s what the advocates want. That’s what the parents want.”

In response to Gee’s ruling, an ICE spokesperson responded in a statement saying that the “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is currently reviewing the most recent order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California yesterday evening in the Flores litigation.”

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: North AmericaPoliticsShort read
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Uvalde shooting

Texas shooting: 21 people confirmed dead; Biden says he’s “sick and tired” of US gun violence

May 26, 2022
Biden North Korea

US President Joe Biden says he’s prepared for possible North Korea nuclear test during Asia tour

May 23, 2022
Australia prime minister

Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese claims victory as Australia’s 31st prime minister, ending nearly a decade of conservative rule

May 23, 2022

The US SEC investigates Wall Street over use of unapproved messaging apps

May 19, 2022

There is a “very, very high risk” of a US recession, says Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein

May 17, 2022

US, China, Russia congratulate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Philippine election win

May 13, 2022

Securing 1,416 votes, former security chief John Lee is now Hong Kong’s new leader

May 9, 2022

What you need to know about the Philippine presidential election right now

May 9, 2022

US hikes rates by half-percentage point, rules out bigger future rate increases

May 5, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

© 2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
    The Millennial Source
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.