June 4, 2026
Trump Administration Seeks to Terminate Protections for Children Despite Harrowing Stories From Children in Detention
SEATTLE, WA – On June 2nd, Flores counsel argued before the Ninth Circuit against the government’s attempt to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement – the primary safeguard against abuse, neglect, and prolonged imprisonment of immigrant children.
Since 1997, the Flores Settlement Agreement has defined the minimum standards for conditions, treatment, and release of immigrant children held by the federal government. The Settlement prevents the government from indefinitely imprisoning children, requires the government to hold minors in the least restrictive environment possible, and requires the government to treat minors with dignity, respect, and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors.
Hundreds of declarations filed by plaintiffs tell harrowing stories about how federal Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have categorically failed to protect the fundamental rights and needs of children they imprison. Plaintiffs have repeatedly had to go to court to enforce the basic standards set out in Flores, and courts have repeatedly found the government is violating those standards — from holding children for weeks in windowless cells to denying children the right to be released to family members and forced medication of children. Since the Trump administration reopened family detention facilities in 2025, hundreds of children and families have spent more than 90 days in these facilities. Children report rotten, worm-laden food, dirty non-potable water, systematic medical neglect, separation from family, and conditions that are unfit for any human being, let alone a child.
Now, the Trump Administration is seeking to end the Flores Settlement’s protections altogether. If the Flores Settlement is terminated, children will likely be detained for months or even years in unlicensed facilities under deplorable conditions – causing irreparable harm to their physical and mental health and placing their lives at risk.
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The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law is a legal non-profit committed to protecting and advancing the rights of immigrants through legal action, advocacy, and education. Through impact litigation, we challenge unlawful immigration policies to drive systemic change and establish stronger legal protections for immigrants. At the local, state, and federal levels, we advocate for fair and humane policies that uphold the rights of all immigrants. For more information, please visit centerforhumanrights.org.
The National Center for Youth Law centers youth through research, community collaboration, impact litigation, and policy advocacy that fundamentally transforms our nation’s approach to education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice. Our vision is a world in which every child thrives and has a full and fair opportunity to achieve the future they envision for themselves. For more information, please visit youthlaw.org.
Children’s Rights is a national advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of children living in or impacted by America’s child welfare, juvenile legal, immigration, education, and healthcare systems. We use civil rights impact litigation, advocacy and policy expertise, and public education to hold governments accountable for keeping kids safe and healthy. Our work centers on creating lasting systemic change that will advance the rights of children for generations. For more information, please visit childrensrights.org.
Media Contacts
Edward Barsoumian, Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, press@centerforhumanrights.org, (408) 807-2010
Pacifica Strategies, National Center for Youth Law, youthlaw@pacificastrategies.com
Camilla Jenkins, Children’s Rights, cjenkins@childrensrights.org, (917) 971-1784
Related Work
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- Case Name
- Flores v. Reno
- Status
- Active
The Flores case was filed in 1985 to address the serious mistreatment of immigrant children in federal custody. The case settled in 1997 and remains under the supervision of federal court judge Dolly Gee in the Central District of California.
Immigration Rights, Government Accountability, Institutionalization, Child Health
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