May 22, 2025
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration is seeking to end an immigration policy cornerstone that since the 1990s has offered protections to child migrants in federal custody, a move that will be challenged by advocates, according to a court filing Thursday.
The protections in place, known as the Flores Settlement Agreement, largely limit to 72 hours the amount of time that child migrants traveling alone or with family and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol. They also ensure the children are kept in safe and sanitary conditions.
“I’ve spent years fighting for children in government custody because I’ve seen the toll detention takes on them — sleepless nights on cold concrete floors with bright lights and no blanket, days or weeks without seeing the sun, untreated illness and injuries, and the unbearable trauma of being separated from siblings, parents or grandparents,” Leecia Welch, the deputy legal director at Children’s Rights, said Thursday.