USDC Judge Dolly Gee (Once Again!) Orders ICE And DHS To Stop Endless Detention Of... Children, In Flores Overnight.

[As a house-keeping note, we will continue to have the RBG tribute run at the top of the blog, through the weekend -- with all later dated material appearing under it, though technically. . . out of chronological order. The dates and times on subsequent posts will be accurate.]

Here on Saturday morning, the able Judge Gee has ordered more specific notices of rights, and order the release of 46 children, now held over 300 days -- in direct violation of the Flores consent agreement, and prior court orders. Here is that 15 page PDF and a bit:

. . . .[A]pproximately 46 minors have been detained at FRCs for more than 300 days because ICE has openly refused to provide a procedure by which those Class Members and their parents can consent to their release. See Legal Services Provider Amici Response to August 2020 ICE Juvenile Coordinator Report at 19 [Doc. # 959]. ICE therefore remains in breach of its obligations under Paragraphs 14 and 18. . . .

The Court has considered innumerable expert opinions asserting that both detention and separation from family are harmful to the best interests of the child. See Human Rights Org. Amici Br. at 10–12 [Doc. # 961]. The Court does not disagree. Yet, circumstances have forced this Court, a reluctant broken record, to repeat yet again: ICE must abide by its obligation to release minors from its custody without unnecessary delay, with parental consent. . . .

The ICE Juvenile Coordinator shall also provide. . . Specific explanations for the continued detention of each minor detained at an FRC beyond 20 days. . . .

Travel well. . . travel light, RBG. . . we thank you, for all you've done -- for all of us.

नमस्ते