Federal judge appoints monitors to oversee immigration detention compliance

A federal judge has appointed two independent monitors to oversee whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are complying with the Flores Settlement Agreement. Chief U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee appointed Andrea Sheridan Ordin as special master and Dr. Paul Wise as independent monitor. The monitors are authorized to examine government records, visit detention facilities and hotels, and interview employees, contractors, and detained individuals or their families.

The Flores Settlement Agreement, established in 1997, mandates that the federal government release children from immigration detention without unnecessary delay and place them in the ‘least restrictive’ setting appropriate for their needs. The monitors will investigate the duration of time children are held in hotels and unlicensed facilities.

In a related development regarding detention practices, a federal district court judge ordered the release of a father from Billings and his 9-year-old daughter from immigration custody in Havre. The pair had been detained since August 11 following an arrest by Border Patrol agents. Legal representatives argued the detention was unconstitutional, stating the pair posed no danger or flight risk.