Final rule allows for indefinite detention of Migrant Children

“The administration seeks to undermine protections for juveniles guaranteed by Flores. Under the sweeping regulation, children could be detained with their parents indefinitely, or separated from their families if housing them together would place an ‘undue burden’ on the government. Further, the regulations allow the federal government to ‘self-license’ jails for family detention, making it easier to establish new detention centers, even as the government’s own medical experts warn that existing family detention centers pose a grave risk of harm to the children jailed therein.

“These regulations are simply the latest attempt by the Trump administration to overturn the Flores settlement. If they succeed, more immigrant children and their families will be detained, for longer periods of time, and without critical health and safety protections. We see, time and time again, that the Trump administration is obsessed with punishing immigrants, including children. Gutting the Flores agreement, which has protected children for decades, harms those most vulnerable and fuels family separation. As Jews, we are taught kavod ha’briot – that all people deserve respect and dignity. We will not remain silent while immigrants continue to be persecuted by our government.”