Statement on the Administration’s Plan to End the Flores Agreement from the National Center for Youth Law

The Administration's announcement today of its plans to end the Flores agreement through new regulations is a call for the mass internment of children. While official regulations will not be published until Friday, all communications from the Administration indicate that the new rules will be a flagrant attempt to dismantle Flores standards of protection. As plaintiff counsel in the Flores case, the National Center for Youth law will be taking prompt action in the courts to ensure the rights of these children are protected.

 

The primary principle of the Flores Settlement Agreement is that detention is harmful to children. This principle, agreed upon by the government, recognizes that the best way to ensure a child's wellbeing is to keep them out of detention. However, these regulations are designed to hold more children for longer periods of time with fewer protections for their health and safety. Time and time again, the government has proven it cannot be trusted to ensure the basic health and safety of children in its custody. This is not the time to let the agencies responsible for the abuse and separation of children regulate themselves. These rules are nothing more than a ploy to strip basic human rights away from children and they will not stand.