A federal court of appeals ruled that the U.S. government it could resume the expulsions of immigrant children crossing the border south unaccompanied by one of his parents.
Yesterday, the Federal District Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia announced the suspension of the decision of a lower court, which allows in the government of President Joe Biden resume the expulsions of migrants undertaken by former President Donald Trump. The measure was implemented by a public health policy that argued that migrants had to be deported due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The court of appeals issued the suspension requested by the Trump administration shortly after a federal judge banned the practice in November.
The three judges Gregory Katsas, Neomi Rao and Justin Walker, who they issued the order, they were appointed by Trump, Which decreed during his presidency several restrictive measures against migration.
The Trump Republican government instituted expulsions early in the pandemic, arguing that it should restrict border crossings to prevent the spread of viruses, although public health officials said after former vice president Mike Pence, he asked them to issue an order allowing the expulsions. Border agents carried out more than 180,000 deportations in the last three months of 2020 alone.
Migration agencies have continued to deport most people crossing the border – adults as well as parents and children together – in the early days of Biden’s rule. The Democrat has said he will cancel Trump’s government policies that restrict migration, but his advisers have said they are concerned about allowing all migrants to cross the border immediately. It is unknown whether Biden will now implement the expulsions of unaccompanied minors.
So far, at least 8,800 minors were expelled before the federal court issued the order. Among them were nine-year-old children who were denied the opportunity to apply for asylum or other protections under U.S. law. Many children, and even babies with their parents, were detained in hotels in border states, before being taken on deportation flights, before another judge banned the practice.
The Department of Homeland Security did not issue statements at the time, nor did the Department of Justice.
Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, described the appellate court’s decision as a “temporary inconvenience.”
“We will continue to litigate this case on behalf of these unaccompanied vulnerable children, who need protection and are legally entitled to seek asylum. Hopefully with the Biden government it will not be necessary to continue the litigation by dismissing this illegal policy created by the Trump administration, “ Gelernt said in a statement.
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