New rulings amid coronavirus could force Trump to release migrant children and parents
WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Los Angeles has given the Trump administration until April 6 to deliver an account of why it can't quickly release many of the roughly 7,000 immigrant children at risk of contracting the coronavirus in shelters and detention facilities across the U.S., and unite them with waiting sponsors.
On Monday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., expanded the ruling to apply to their detained parents as well.
The Justice Department declined to comment Monday on whether the administration planned to appeal in either case, both of which also mandate oversight of the detention facilities' preparedness for the pandemic. The White House did not respond.
While praising the rulings, Karen Tumlin, a Los Angeles-based lawyer and director and founder of the Justice Action Center, said the administration was forcing "ad hoc justice" amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"If you're lucky
