The Trump administration said Thursday it is preparing to circumvent limits on the government’s ability to hold minors in immigration jails by withdrawing from the Flores Settlement Agreement, the federal consent decree that has shaped detention standards for underage migrants since 1997.

The maneuver is almost certain to land the administration back in court, where U.S. District Court Judge Dolly M. Gee, who oversees the agreement, has rejected attempts to extend the amount of time migrant children can be held with their parents beyond the current limit of 20 days.

But under changes proposed Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, the administration said it would issue new regulations that “satisfy the basic purpose” of the Flores settlement and ensure migrant children “are treated with dignity, respect and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors.”

The changes proposed by the administration would allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to expand its family detention facilities in order to keep parents and children together in custody for lengthier periods. ICE currently has three such facilities, which it calls “family residential centers,” with a combined capacity of about 3,500 beds.

But those facilities are almost always full, and the limitations on child detention under the Flores settlement have been a disincentive to build more. The settlement also mandates that children can only be held in licensed facilities, and the government has struggled to find states willing to do so.

The Crimson Cyclone wrote:Booker and fellow Judiciary dems are in open revolt and are exposing committee confidential emails on Kavanaugh

risking expulsion

‘It’s like the horror movies when everyone realizes the call is coming from inside the house,’ one former White House official said about the anonymous New York Times piece.

thephan wrote:

‘It’s like the horror movies when everyone realizes the call is coming from inside the house,’ one former White House official said about the anonymous New York Times piece.

Nice imagery.

thephan wrote:Rand Paul is priceless suggesting that they hook people up to ye' olde lie detector until you find the worm.

momadance wrote:Alex Jones perma-banned from twitter.

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Are the investigative “journalists” of the New York Times going to investigate themselves - who is the anonymous letter writer?

Omarosa says she thinks anonymous op-ed came from Pence's office

“Virtually, you know, it’s treason.”

Speaking of the Stars and Stripes, Trump reminded the crowd about how the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man caused a ruckus by not showing the American flag that was planted on the moon. “See, what they are missing is that that movie would have been a much bigger success if they had planted the flag like they were supposed to!” See, what Trump is missing is that movie doesn’t hit theaters for another month-plus.

Trump also lavished praise on communist kingpins Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un. He waited for applause after mentioning the former, but the Montanans balked.