A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to release migrant children held in government family detention centers due to the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Judge Dolly Gee of the federal district court in Los Angeles set a July 17 deadline for the release of all children who have been in ICE custody for more than 20 days, per CBS News.
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(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“Given the severity of the outbreak in the counties in which FRCs are located and the Independent Monitor and Dr. Wise’s observations of non-compliance or spotty compliance with masking and social distancing rules, renewed and more vigorous efforts must be undertaken to transfer (children) residing at the FRCs to non-congregate settings,” Gee wrote in her order.
Judge Gee oversees the government’s compliance with the Flores Settlement Agreement, which sets limits on the length of time children can be held by ICE.
“We are grateful that the federal court has again stepped into this crisis and ordered the release of all minors to relatives in the U.S. in the next three weeks as long as the parent detained with the child wants their child released,” Schey wrote in a statement.
