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U.S. NEWS Thursday 29 sepTember 2022
Feds want psychological tests for parents of separated kids

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Parents studied by Physi-
and COLLEEN LONG cians for Human Rights, a
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nonprofit collective of doc-
Biden administration is ask- tors that works to document
ing that parents of children human rights violations, ex-
separated at the U.S.-Mex- hibited suicidal thoughts
ico border undergo an- and suffered a raft of prob-
other round of psychologi- lems including nightmares,
cal evaluations to measure depression, anxiety, panic,
how traumatized they were worry and difficulty sleep-
by the Trump-era policy, ing.
court documents show. Biden administration of-
The request comes in a ficials have decried the
lawsuit filed by migrants Trump-era policies. Biden,
seeking compensation a Democrat, said during his
from the government after presidential campaign the
thousands of children were policies were "an outrage,
taken from parents in a pol- a moral failing and a stain
icy maligned as inhumane on our national character."
by political and religious Justice Department at-
leaders around the world. torneys acknowledge in
Settlement talks with attor- Immigrants seeking asylum who were recently reunited arrive at a hotel in San Antonio, July 23, court documents that
neys and the government 2018. parents have already un-
broke down late last year. Associated Press dergone multiple mental
Justice Department attor- health evaluations but say
neys are also reserving the hiring doctors to try and the government to have its dren separated from their an adult-psychology ex-
right to have a psychologist claim the families didn't own opportunity to exam- parents showed more fear, pert found it was necessary
examine the children who suffer all that much," said ine them. feelings of abandonment to get another opinion,
were separated, if neces- Lee Gelernt, deputy direc- The requests came in two and post-traumatic stress according to court docu-
sary. The evaluations are tor of the ACLU Immigrants' cases filed by 11 families. symptoms than children ments.
routine in emotional-dam- Rights Project and a lawyer There are nearly two doz- who were not separated. "It is standard practice for
ages claims, but these cas- for plaintiffs in the effort to en similar cases pending Some children believed plaintiffs alleging severe
es are unusual because the compensate migrants. in other courts, and some their parents had aban- emotional injury to be ex-
government's role in trau- Government attorneys ar- have already submitted doned them or had been amined by the opposing
matizing parents and chil- gued that the migrants "al- to government-requested killed. For some, the men- party's expert," federal at-
dren by the separations has lege that their mental and psychiatric evaluations. tal trauma caused physi- torneys wrote. They point
been well documented. emotional injuries are on- But the parents have al- cal symptoms, like chest or to a similar southern Florida
"President Biden called going and permanent in ready sat for hourslong de- heart pain, according to case in which a father and
the Trump family separa- nature" and that their inju- positions in which they re- a 2019 report from the in- child agreed to the same
tions criminal and a moral ries are directly related to counted what happened spector general's office in examination and say it's
stain on the nation, but the government's policy. in detail. Government in- the Department of Health "well within" what's consid-
now his administration is They say it is necessary for vestigators have said chil- and Human Services. ered appropriate.q

California to add wine, liquor bottles to recycling program

By DON THOMPSON that he had signed Atkins' ers to participate will help
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) bill into law. increase that rate even
— California will add wine Consumers in California more," said Adam Smith,
and liquor bottles to its re- pay a nickel each time Distilled Spirits Council of
cycling rebate program they buy a 12-ounce the United States' vice pres-
under a law taking effect in (355-milliliter) bottle or can ident of state government
July 2024. and a dime for containers relations.
"California's bottle bill recy- over 24 ounces (709 millili- Buyers are supposed to
cling program has needed ters). Aside from including get their deposits back by
fixing for 40 years," Senate bottles and cans contain- returning the containers,
President Pro Tempore Toni ing wine or spirits, the new so the containers don't go
Atkins said Wednesday. law adds a 25-cent deposit into landfills but can be re-
"When you consider that and refund for wine and cycled into new products.
California generates more distilled spirits sold in a box, But they have had more
than 1 billion wine and li- bag or pouch. difficulty doing so in re-
quor bottles every year, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine and cent years because many
that shows what major Vermont already have de- neighborhood recycling Bottles of Apocalypse Now Red Blend wine stand on a tasting
progress this legislation is posit programs including centers closed. bar counter at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, May 21, 2020,
and what an impact it will those containers, accord- The law also attempts to in Geyserville, Calif.
have." ing to the National Confer- address that problem by Associated Press
California's recycling pro- ence of State Legislatures. allowing dealers to form a
gram previously included "While spirits bottles are al- cooperative organization It passed the Legislature five years for market devel-
beer cans and bottles, but ready recycled at a high to collect the containers as with no opposition votes, opment and quality incen-
not wine or spirits contain- rate in the state of Califor- an alternative to the cur- but several groups criticized tives, money that they con-
ers. Gov. Gavin Newsom nia, it is our hope the new rent law that requires stores the bill's inclusion of nearly tended is pork for already
announced late Tuesday law's incentive for consum- to take back the empties. $400 million over the next wealthy corporations.q