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Rep. Sylvia Garcia's Statement on President Trump's New Regulation Replacing the Flores Agreement

September 6, 2019

Press Contact: Robert Julien - Email: robert.julien@mail.house.gov; Cell: 202-227-0330

HOUSTON, TX — Earlier today, the Trump Administration unveiled a new regulation that will replace the Flores Agreement, a court-ordered consent decree that limits how long migrant children can be detained in detention facilities. This new regulation will fundamentally allow the U.S. government to indefinitely detain migrant children caught crossing the border. A lot is yet unknown about how this new regulation will be implemented and enforced, and how it will exacerbate the Trump Administration's poor treatment of migrants.

House Judiciary Committee Member Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX) released the following statement:

"The Flores Agreement is a decades-old court agreement that has limited how long migrant children can be detained under U.S. custody and protected them from physical and emotional harm.

The Trump Administration's announcement of a new regulation to replace the Flores Agreement is yet another political ploy. He is attacking migrant families in order to win political points.

I have many concerns about how this new regulation will worsen the Trump-made humanitarian crisis in immigration detention facilities, where migrant families are being ripped apart and treated inhumanely.

I urge the Trump Administration to save the Flores Agreement and to stop its assault on the human rights and dignity of migrant families and children.Image removed.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House ofRepresentatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent Texas 29th Congressional district.