Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Even After Trump Administration Officially Ended Separation Policy, Kids Are Still Being Taken Into Custody And Institutionalized
The New York Times: U.S. Continues To Separate Migrant Families Despite Rollback Of Policy
Nearly nine months after the Trump administration officially rescinded its policy of separating migrant families who have illegally crossed the border, more than 200 migrant children have been taken from parents and other relatives and placed in institutional care, with some spending months in shelters and foster homes thousands of miles away from their parents. The latest data reported to the federal judge monitoring one of the most controversial of President Trump’s immigration policies shows that 245 children have been removed from their families since the court ordered the government to halt routine separations under last spring’s “zero tolerance” border enforcement policy. (Jordan and Dickerson, 3/9)
Reuters: U.S. Judge May Force Trump Administration To Reunite More Families Separated At Mexico Border
In a blow to the Trump administration's U.S.-Mexico border strategy, a federal court judge in California has expanded the number of migrant families separated at the border that the government may be required to reunite. San Diego-based U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw late on Friday issued a preliminary ruling that would potentially expand by thousands the number of migrants included in a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. (3/9)
Reuters: Mumps, Other Outbreaks Force U.S. Detention Centers To Quarantine Over 2,000 Migrants
Christian Mejia thought he had a shot at getting out of immigration detention in rural Louisiana after he found a lawyer to help him seek asylum. Then he was quarantined. In early January, a mumps outbreak at the privately run Pine Prairie U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center put Mejia and hundreds of other detainees on lockdown. (3/10)
The Hill: Over 2,000 Migrants Quarantined In US Detention Centers Amid Mumps Outbreaks: Report
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. The reported quarantines within migrant detention facilities comes during a surge in outbreaks in communicable infections such as measles and mumps. A recent spate of measles infected 159 mostly unvaccinated people in 10 states as of late last month, leading some states to reconsider vaccine exemptions. (Samuels, 3/10)
Meanwhile —
Politico Pro: HHS Panned For Plan To Shift $385M To Fund Migrant Children Care
HHS Secretary Alex Azar has told congressional appropriators that he plans to shift $385 million from health programs so the department can continue to house unaccompanied migrant children, a strategy that's been panned by Democrats and public health advocates. (Diamond, 3/8)
Reveal: Bitter Custody
A controversial theory is swaying family court judges to award custody to parents accused of harming kids. We trace the origins of “parental alienation” and learn how it has spawned a cottage industry of so-called family reunification camps that are making big profits from broken families. (Clegg, 3/9)
