Federal court blocks Trump rule to hold unaccompanied minors at border indefinitely

A judge in the District Court of Washington, D.C., on Friday blocked an August Trump administration rule that would have extended the legal detention of unauthorized migrant minors beyond 20 days.

The Trump rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, claimed that requirements laid out by the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which limited the detainment of children, had been met and the FSA should be ended.

"Today, the government has issued a critical rule that will permit the Department of Homeland Security to appropriately hold families together and improve the integrity of the immigration system,” acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan said at the time. “This rule allows the federal government to enforce immigration laws as passed by Congress and ensures that all children in U.S. government custody are treated with dignity, respect, and special concern for their particular vulnerability."

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