The US government must release migrant children held in the country’s three family detention centers by mid-July due to the coronavirus pandemic, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The children must be released with their parents or to “available suitable sponsors or other available COVID-free non-congregate settings” with the consent of their parents or guardians, Judge Gee said.
As of June 8, there were 124 children in ICE custody, according to the ruling. The ruling, which calls for children to be let go by July 17, applies to children who have resided at the three facilities for more than 20 days.
The efforts, Gee wrote, must be made with “deliberate speed.”
Overall, around 8,858 tested overall detainees in ICE custody who have been tested for coronavirus and 751 have tested positive, according to the agency’s statistics as of Friday afternoon.
