20 US states sue President Donald Trump over indefinite detention of migrant children
- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra says the lawsuit seeks to ‘protect children from the irreparable harm caused by unlawful and unnecessary detention’
A coalition of 20 US states announced on Monday they will sue Donald Trump’s administration over its recent decision to remove legal limits on how long migrant children can be detained.
“With this rule, the Trump administration is paving the way for ICE to imprison innocent children for indefinite periods of time,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement.
The Department of Homeland Security last week said it was terminating the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, a legal ruling that said the government could hold migrant children in detention for no more than 20 days.
The White House said the Flores rule was outdated and did not take into account the massive increase in Central American migrant families and children crossing into the US in recent years.
A new policy, to be implemented in less than 60 days, will allow children and their families to be detained for an unlimited time.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the lawsuit seeks to “protect children from the irreparable harm caused by unlawful and unnecessary detention.”