Trump wages court battle over rules for detaining migrant children

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Set us as preferred For more than a quarter-century, a lawsuit settlement from a case brought in Los Angeles federal court has dictated conditions for children held in immigration detention.But now, the long-standing settlement — which set minimum standards for housing, education and medical care for migrant kids in federal custody, while strictly limiting how long they can remain there — hangs in the balance in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals after a challenge by the Trump administration.

At the same time, the federal judge in L.A.who presides over the agreement appears poised to appoint a powerful new enforcer to uphold it.

President Trump has long sought to scrap the Flores settlement, which dates back to the Clinton era.In recent months, the Trump administration has waged a legal battle to cancel the agreement, while also pleading with the district court not to order an independent monitor to boost its compliance.

“[Flores] is the only thing standing between them and indefinite detention of families,” said Leecia Welch, chief legal director at Children’s Rights, a plaintiff in the case.Last month, Assistant Atty.

Gen.Brett A.

Shumate pressed the 9th Circuit court to give the administration “the thumbs-up or thumbs-down” on its bid to tear up the settlement and end what he called “judicial micromanagement” of federal immigration policy.World & Nation Nearly 600 immigrant children were held in a Texas detention center beyond court-mandated limits and without enough food or medical care, according to court data.“The Flores consent decree is an agreement which goes well above the constitutional floor,” Shumate told the court during oral arguments in June.

“We’re asking that [the Department of Homeland Security’s] compliance with the law be assessed based on the law, not a 30-year-old se...