THE FLORES SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT:
limits the government*s ability to indefinitely incarcerate immigrant children
requires licensing by state child protection authorities of facilities that hold them
The government is also required to release children from immigration detention without unnecessary delay to, in order of preference, parents, other adult relatives, or licensed programs willing to accept custody.
If a suitable placement is not immediately available, the government is obligated to place children in the *least restrictive* setting appropriate to their age and any special needs
Holds the government responsible to implement standards relating to the care and treatment of children in immigration detention
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION PROPOSED REGULATIONS:
The Justice Department had asked the federal court for permission *to detain alien families together throughout the pendency of criminal proceedings for improper entry or any removal or other immigration proceedings.*
WHAT THIS MEANS:
These proposed regulations, published in the Federal Register Sept. 7TH, are an attempt to strip legal protections from families and children seeking refuge in the United States. This move comes just months after the administration attempted to discourage illegal immigration by separating migrant families at the border, but then backed down because of the resulting uproar. As of last week, nearly 500 children were still in government-run shelters without their parents.