Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 21 June 2018
In reversal, Trump orders halt to his family separation rule

By JILL COLVIN and COL- tion settlement that set poli- president Richard Cohen sessments for possible de- Human Services.
LEEN LONG cies for the treatment and said in a statement. tention facilities at military The policy had led to a
Associated Press release of minors caught It's also unclear what will bases have already been spike in family separations
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bow- at the border, families can happen to the children al- done in Texas and another in recent weeks, with more
ing to pressure from anx- only be detained for 20 ready separated. Health is expected in Arkansas on than 2,300 minors sepa-
ious allies, President Donald days. A senior Justice De- and Human Services Sec- Thursday. rated from their families
Trump abruptly reversed partment official said that retary Alex Azar said his Two people close to Nielsen at the border from May 5
himself Wednesday and through June 9, according
signed an executive or- to Homeland Security.
der halting his administra- The Flores settlement,
tion's policy of separating named for a teenage girl
children from their parents who brought the case in
when they are detained il- the 1980s, requires the gov-
legally crossing the U.S. bor- ernment to release children
der. from custody and to their
It was a dramatic turn- parents, adult relatives or
around for Trump, who has other caretakers, in order of
been insisting, wrongly, preference. If those options
that his administration had are exhausted, authorities
no choice but to separate must find the "least restric-
families apprehended at tive" setting for a child who
the border because of fed- arrived without parents.
eral law and a court deci- Peter Schey, class-appoint-
sion. ed counsel in the Flores
The order does not end the case, said Wednesday
"zero-tolerance" policy that there was nothing in the
criminally prosecutes all agreement that prevents
adults caught crossing the Homeland Security officials
border illegally. But it would More than 100 protestors demonstrated outside the federal courthouse where a federal judge from detaining children
keep families together will hear arguments over the U.S. Justice Department's request to block three California laws that with their parents, "as long
extend protections to people in the country illegally, Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Sacramento,
while they are in custody, Calif. as the conditions of deten-
expedite their cases and Associated Press tion are humane and the
ask the Defense Depart- child remains eligible for
ment to help house them. release, unless the child
It also doesn't change any- hasn't changed. department will start reunit- said she was the driving is a flight risk, or a danger
thing yet for the some 2,300 "This is a stopgap measure," ing detained immigrant force behind the turnabout to herself or others, or the
children taken from their said Gene Hamilton, coun- children with their parents that led to the new order child's parent does not wish
families since the policy sel to the attorney general. — but he made no spe- keeping families together. the child to be released."
was put into place. Justice lawyers were plan- cific commitment on how Those people were not au- He said he was looking into
The news in recent days has ning to file a challenge to quickly that can be ac- thorized to speak publicly whether the court could
been dominated by sear- the agreement, known as complished. And officials and commented only on block deportation of par-
ing images of children held the Flores settlement, ask- said the cases of the chil- condition of anonymity. ents until they have been
in cages at border facilities, ing that a judge allow for dren already separated One of them said Nielsen, reunited with their children,
as well as audio recordings the detention of families and turned over to their who had become the and whether it could force
of young children crying for until criminal and removal custody would proceed as face of the administration's the Trump administration to
their parents — images that proceedings are complet- usual. policy, had little faith that reunite those separated.
have sparked fury, question ed. Trump's family apparently Congress would act to fix In 2015, a federal judge in
of morality and concern So Trump's order is likely to played a role in his turn- the separation issue and Los Angeles expanded the
from Republicans about a create a fresh set of prob- around. felt compelled to act. She terms of the settlement, rul-
negative impact on their lems and may well spark a A White House official said was heckled at a restau- ing that it applies to chil-
races in November's mid- new court fight. It's unclear first lady Melania Trump rant Tuesday evening and dren who are caught with
term elections. what happens if no chang- had been making her opin- has faced protesters at her their parents as well as to
Until Wednesday, the presi- es to law or the settlement ion known to the president home. those who come to the U.S.
dent, Homeland Security take place by the time for some time that she felt Trump had tweeted early alone. Other recent rulings,
Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen families reach the detain- he needed to do all he Wednesday, before issuing upheld on appeal, affirm
and other officials had re- ment deadline. The lan- could to help families stay his order: "It's the Demo- the children's rights to a
peatedly argued the only guage also leaves room to together, whether by work- crats fault, they won't give bond hearing and require
way to end the practice separate children from par- ing with Congress or acting us the votes needed to better conditions at the
was for Congress to pass ents if it's best for the child's on his own. pass good immigration leg- Border Patrol's short-term
new legislation, while Dem- welfare. And daughter Ivanka islation. They want open holding facilities.
ocrats said Trump could do And it didn't do much for Trump tweeted, "Thank you borders, which breeds hor- In 2016, the 9th U.S. Circuit
it with his signature alone. the teeming outrage over @POTUS for taking critical rible crime. Republicans Court of Appeals ruled
That's just what he did. the issue. The Alabama- action ending family sepa- want security. But I am that child migrants who
"We're going to have based Southern Poverty ration at our border." working on something - it came to the border with
strong, very strong borders, Law Center said the order Homeland Security Sec- never ends!" parents and were held in
but we're going to keep didn't go nearly far enough. retary Nielsen briefed The "zero tolerance" policy custody must be released.
the families together," said "The administration still lawmakers on Capitol Hill put into place last month The decision did not state
Trump, who added that he plans to criminalize families Wednesday, and those moves adults to the custo- parents must be released.
didn't like the "sight" or "feel- — including children — by on the fence over pend- dy of the U.S. Marshals Ser- Neither, though, did it re-
ing" of children separated holding them in prison-like ing immigration legislation vice and sends many chil- quire parents to be kept in
from their parents. detention facilities. There headed to the White House dren to facilities run by the detention, apart from their
Under a previous class-ac- are workable alternatives," to meet with Trump. As- Department of Health and children.q