Judge orders U.S. refugee office to reconsider some children’s cases
The Hindu
Federal judge orders U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement to review cases of migrant children in government custody.
A Federal Judge said on Monday (June 9, 2025) that the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement must reconsider the cases of some migrant children who have been stuck in government custody since the Trump administration changed the identification requirements for would-be family sponsors.
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The opinion from U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington, D.C., found that the Trump administration's more stringent regulations caused undue delays for the children and the parents and adult siblings who were hoping to bring the kids into their homes.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The ruling sends a clear and necessary message: the government cannot trap children in detention simply because their families lack specific documents or legal status,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy firm representing some of the migrant children. “The court’s decision is not only a step toward reuniting families — it pushes back against a broader effort to erode long-standing legal protections for children.”
Under Mr. Trump’s rules, migrant children have stayed in shelters for an average of 217 days before being released to family members, according to data from the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement. During the Biden administration, migrant children spent an average of 35 days in shelters before being released to sponsors.
The Trump administration says adult sponsors who took in migrant children were not always properly vetted, placing some of the children at risk of abuse or exploitation. The new regulations include DNA testing and income verification. They also prohibit sponsor applicants from using foreign passports and documents from other countries to prove identity.
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