Judge extends court oversight for migrant children in custody

A federal judge has extended a court agreement ensuring safe conditions for migrant children in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody.

The agreement was set to end Wednesday, but Judge Dolly Gee extended it for 18 months.

The ruling means a court-appointed monitor will continue inspecting CBP facilities in Texas.

Reports have highlighted issues such as children being separated from families and held in poor conditions.

The original agreement, implemented in July 2022, allowed independent monitoring of CBP’s handling of migrant children.

The latest report, filed in December, noted improvements but also found ongoing family separations and underreported detention times.

CBP had planned to start self-monitoring but faced opposition.

Plaintiffs argued the agency is failing to do its job properly.

Mishan Wroe, senior attorney for the National Youth Law Center, said children should not be forced to spend weeks inside a windowless pod in dirty clothes with no access to the outdoors.

Meanwhile, Trump administration officials plan stricter immigration policies, which could increase detention times.