The Latest: Judge to block rules for detained migrant kids
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on a court case over detention conditions for immigrant children (all times local):
12:45 p.m.
A U.S. judge says she will block Trump administration rules for the detention of immigrant children, calling them inconsistent with a longstanding agreement that lays out conditions for their custody.
The decision came Friday after a hearing where attorneys for detained immigrant children said the rules would let the U.S. government keep kids locked up indefinitely and in facilities that aren't licensed by the state.
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles said the Flores settlement reached in 1997 remains in place and she will issue an injunction blocking the new rules from taking effect.
The longstanding settlement governs the detention conditions for immigrant children caught on the Mexico border.
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11:35 a.m.
A US judge has said rules issued by the Trump administration for the detention of immigrant children are inconsistent with a longstanding agreement that lays out conditions for their custody.
U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles on Friday told government lawyers she did not see how their rules adhered to a 1997 settlement that applies to all minors and that she must apply basic contract law.
Immigrant advocates say Gee issued a tentative ruling indicating she will likely block the Trump rules from taking effect. She hasn't issued a final ruling and is still weighing the issue.
The Trump administration has been seeking to end the settlement amid a crackdown on immigrant families seeking asylum along the southwest border.
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12:07 a.m.
The Trump administration will make a case in court to end a longstanding settlement governing detention conditions for immigrant children, including how long they can be held by the government.
A hearing is scheduled before a federal judge Friday in Los Angeles over the so-called Flores settlement. The administration contends the 1997 agreement should be terminated since authorities have since issued new rules for custody conditions for children caught on the border.
But immigrant and youth advocates say the rules fail to honor the settlement terms and would let the U.S. government keep children locked up indefinitely and in facilities that aren't licensed by the state.
The rules are one of a series of measures taken by the administration to crack down on asylum seekers on the Southwest border.
