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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 3 sepTember 2019

Government: Let’s end agreement for migrant kid detention

By ASTRID GALVAN the new regulation, which
Associated Press would allow the govern-
PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. ment to detain families
government on Friday with children for much lon-
took another major step to ger than it’s allowed now,
end a settlement agree- “would eviscerate the
ment governing the length settlement’s crucial pro-
of time and conditions in tections for vulnerable chil-
which it can detain immi- dren.” “The basic human
grant children. rights of children should
Government attorneys never be commodities in
have filed a notice request- the battle for political capi-
ing that a federal judge dis- tal,” said attorney Neha
solve what’s widely known Desai, who works for the
as the Flores settlement National Center for Youth
agreement. First signed in Law, one of the groups
1997, the agreement limits involved in the litigation.
how long children can be “Over the past two years
in detention to generally this administration has con-
20 days while also spelling structed a hateful narrative
out conditions. Prior to the about immigrant children
agreement, for example, and families which it has
immigrant youths who trav- now woven throughout its
eled to the U.S. without a Final Rule attempting to
parent were detained with eviscerate the Flores Settle-
adults of the opposite sex. ment Agreement.”
The Flores agreement has Desai and other attorneys
been a focal point of Presi- involved in the case on Fri-
dent Donald Trump’s calls In this March 27, 2019, file photo, Central American migrants wait for food in a pen erected by day asked a judge to reject
to reduce immigration. His U.S. Customs and Border Protection to process a surge of migrant families and unaccompanied the rules. The government
administration says it’s a minors in El Paso, Texas. filed its own request after
loophole that encourages Associated Press theirs.
families to migrate north. the past year. Over 400,000 have fled extreme violence tinuing it “is no longer pos- Lawyers and psychologists
Authorities have dealt with families with children have and poverty. sible, equitable, or in the who have examined chil-
an overwhelming number crossed the border since Assistant Attorney General public interest.” dren being held say pro-
of mostly Central Ameri- October, and nearly 70,000 Joseph H. Hunt argued in The agreement is supposed longed detention causes
can families and unac- children have arrived with- the filing that government to end when the govern- life-long trauma and that
companied children who out a biological parent or regulations issued last week ment has adopted its rules the government imposes
have traveled to the bor- legal guardian. Many are adopt the main tenets of through regulation. But im- deplorable conditions on
der through Mexico over here to seek asylum and the agreement, and con- migrant advocates say them.q

Woman charged with kidnapping toddler blames father

PENN HILLS, Pa. (AP) — A ment of the whereabouts After an Amber Alert was The Pittsburgh Post-Ga- wrote in the criminal com-
woman accused of driv- of a child, all felonies, in issued, the car was found zette reports that Nancy plaint that they found no
ing off with a toddler as the disappearance of Na- and Nancy was taken into alleges the father “sold” evidence of a silver SUV in
her father got out of the lani Johnson, who will be 2 custody, but neither the the toddler for $10,000 the area at the time.
car has alleged the dad years old this month. child nor her car seat was and, on his instructions, she No attorney was listed in
told her to deliver the kid Allegheny County police found. Police say the vehi- turned the girl over to a court documents for Nan-
to another woman be- said the child’s father told cle went to Blairsville, New woman at a roadside ren- cy, and a listed number for
cause he had “sold” his investigators in Penn Hills Alexandria and Delmont dezvous. She alleged that her could not be found.
daughter, authorities said that he and a friend were in Westmoreland County she was told to drive 20 The child’s grandmother,
Monday. riding in a car driven by and asked anyone who minutes from a Monroeville Taji Walsh, dismissed the
Sharena Islam Nancy, 25, Nancy on Saturday eve- saw anything that might gas station. There, she saw allegations, telling report-
who works as a ride-hailing ning. When he got out of help to call investigators. a parked silver sports utility ers that if police thought
service driver, has been the car and was moving to On Monday evening, they vehicle with out-of-state the father was involved
charged with kidnapping get the child out of her car urged people to be on the plates, and she gave the “he wouldn’t be walking
of a minor, custodial in- seat, Nancy drove off, he lookout for the missing car child to a woman stand- freely — he’d be locked
terference and conceal- alleged. seat. ing outside the car. Police up like she is.”q