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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 19 November 2020

Judge orders US to stop expelling children who cross border

sands of unused beds. of a broader shift on immi- out denying protections un-
gration. der federal anti-trafficking
Sullivan's order bars only the law and a court settlement
expulsion of children who The Trump administration that governs the treatment of
cross the border unaccom- has argued in court that it children.
panied by a parent. The gov- must expel children who have U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Mi-
ernment has expelled nearly recently crossed the border chael Harvey recommended
200,000 people since March, — whether they had autho- on Sept. 25 that Sullivan
including adults, and parents rization or not — to prevent grant an injunction barring
and children traveling to- the infection of border agents expulsions of children, saying
gether. and others in immigration the government was claiming
custody. The emergency power that was “breathtak-
“This policy was sending declaration was made by Dr. ingly broad.”
thousands of young children Robert Redfield, director of
back to danger without any the Centers for Disease Con- Children and parents who
hearing,” said Lee Gelernt, a trol and Prevention, and the have been expelled have re-
lawyer for the American Civ- Justice Department on Oct. ported believing they would
(AP) — A federal judge il Liberties Union. “Like so 2 cited the judgment of “the be allowed to reunite with
on Wednesday ordered the The Trump administration many other Trump adminis- nation's top public health of- family in the U.S., only to
Trump administration to has expelled at least 8,800 un- tration policies, it was gratu- ficial” in urging Sullivan not instead be deported to their
stop expelling immigrant accompanied children since itously cruel and unlawful.” to stop the expulsion of chil- countries of origin.
children who cross the March, when it issued an dren. One mother of 12- and
southern border alone, emergency declaration citing The Justice Department did 9-year-olds found out her
halting a policy that has the coronavirus as grounds not immediately say whether The Associated Press report- children had been expelled
resulted in thousands of for barring most people it would appeal. It has ap- ed on Oct. 3 that top CDC when she received a call from
rapid deportations of mi- crossing the border from re- pealed another federal judge's officials resisted issuing the an official in Honduras ask-
nors during the coronavi- maining in the United States. order barring the use of ho- declaration because it lacked ing her to send a relative to
rus pandemic. tels to detain children. a public health basis, but that collect them.
Border agents have forced Vice President Mike Pence
U.S. District Judge Emmet many people to return to The incoming administra- ordered Redfield to move The father of a 1-year-old girl
Sullivan issued a preliminary Mexico right away, while de- tion of President-elect Joe forward anyway. alleged that agents told him
injunction sought by legal taining others in holding fa- Biden has not directly said and his wife to feed the girl
groups suing on behalf of cilities or hotels, sometimes whether it will keep trying to Opponents of the policy ac- ice in case their temperatures
children whom the govern- for days or weeks. Mean- expel immigrants under pub- cuse the administration of us- were checked before board-
ment sought to expel before while, government-funded lic-health authority. Biden is ing the pandemic as a pretext ing a flight. U.S. Immigra-
they could request asylum or facilities meant to hold chil- expected to roll back several to restrict immigration and tion and Customs Enforce-
other protections under fed- dren while they are placed Trump administration poli- say agents can safely screen ment has denied using ice as
eral law. with sponsors have thou- cies restricting asylum as part minors for COVID-19 with- an artificial cooling measure.

New York City schools to close again as city fights virus

(AP) — New York City now passed that mark. since the start of the school including hiring thousands city's recovery. “This is an
is shuttering schools to year. more teachers and testing example of what makes New
try to stop the renewed The city's more than 1 mil- 10% to 20% of all students York City great,” he said at
spread of the coronavi- lion public school students New York City's school sys- and staffers per month for the time. “We did something
rus, Mayor Bill de Blasio will now be taught entirely tem, like others across the the virus. that other cities around this
said Wednesday in a pain- online, as most already are. nation, halted in-person country could only dream of
ful about-face for one of As of the end of October, learning in mid-March as the When high schools finally because we have fought back
the first big U.S. school only about 25% of students virus spiked. opened their doors, de Bla- this pandemic so well for so
systems to bring students had gone to class in school sio hailed it as “an absolutely long.”
back to classrooms this this fall, far fewer than offi- While many big U.S. school amazing moment” in the
fall. cials had expected. districts later decided to start
the fall term with online
The nation's largest public In-person school resumed learning, de Blasio pushed
school system will halt in- Sept. 21 for pre-kindergar- for opening schoolhouse
person learning Thursday, the teners and some special edu- doors. The Democrat argued
mayor said in a tweet. “Please cation students. Elementary that students needed services
note that this is a temporary schools opened Sept. 29 and they got in school and that
closure, and school buildings high schools Oct. 1. At the many parents were counting
will reopen as soon as it is time, the seven-day positive on it in order to get back to
safe to do so,” Department of test average rate was under work.
Education Chancellor Rich- 2%.
ard Carranza said in a letter To keep students spread out,
to parents. Even as the school system the city offered in-person
stayed open, nearly 1,500 learning only part-time, with
The city had said since sum- classrooms went through youngsters logging on from
mer that school buildings temporary closures after stu- home the rest of the time. The
would close if 3% of all the dents or staffers tested posi- reopening date, originally set
coronavirus tests performed tive, and officials began in- for Sept. 10, was postponed
citywide over a seven-day pe- stituting local shutdowns in twice as teachers, principals
riod came back positive. As neighborhoods where coro- and some parents said safety
the rate neared that point last navirus cases were rising rap- precautions and staffing were
week, de Blasio advised par- idly. inadequate, with the teachers'
ents to prepare for a possible As of midweek, more than union at one point threaten-
shutdown within days. 2,300 students or staff at pub- ing to strike.
The mayor said the rate has lic schools had tested positive The city agreed to changes,