Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

A multi-state coalition that includes 20 attorneys general banded together and filed an amicus brief this morning to fight the Trump regime’s plans to prolong the detainment of immigrant children, with Washington’s Attorney General Nick Brown joining.

“This administration has done nothing to earn the public trust and ensure that detained immigrant children will be treated fairly or humanely if these terms are overturned,” Brown said. “Oversight is crucial to ensure their well-being.”

The Flores settlement agreement was enacted in 1997 and orders children in immigration custody to be held in state-licensed facilities with oversight. It also requires children to be released to parents, guardians, and licensed programs without unnecessary delays. The Flores settlement agreement puts standards in place for education, recreation, and more. But the Trump regime has been working to terminate it since May of 2025.

The brief argues that the stripping of the Flores settlement agreement would threaten the health and safety of immigrant children who are forced into these facilities.

“The termination would result in the vast expansion of family detention centers, which are not state licensed facilities and have historically caused increased trauma in children, and prolong the time children spend in immigration detention. This can cause significant long-term harm to their physical, mental, and emotional health, disrupt their development and educational needs, and increase burdens to the states that provide services to support them.”

—Washington State Attorney General’s Office

Other states included in the amicus brief filing are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Vermont.

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