Skip to main content

Meng Issues Statement on Trump Administration’s Plan to Scrap the Flores Settlement

August 23, 2019
QUEENS, NY – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) today issued the following statement on the Trump administration's plan to scrap the Flores Settlement which sets duration and treatment standards for children in detention.
"First President Trump separated immigrant children from their parents. Now he wants to keep innocent migrant kids and families locked up indefinitely. This is beyond the pale, and yet another cruel and shameful assault on immigrants.
Last month, I introduced the ‘Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act' which would ensure that migrant children and families who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border are provided with safe, sanitary, and humane services. Among the many provisions in the bill is a measure that would keep the Flores Settlement in place. With the President trying to terminate the agreement, I will redouble my efforts to pass this critical legislation.
Last year, I traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border where I visited detention and processing centers, and what I saw was deeply disturbing. I saw kids being held in cages and I cried with distraught mothers. I cannot imagine the horror that children and families would be forced to endure if they are held indefinitely. We must all stand against this inhumane plan."