Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fathers File Lawsuit Calling Trump Administration's Zero Tolerance Policy 'Cruel And Unconstitutional'
The Hill: Lawsuit Alleges Child Abuse And Neglect After Trump Administration Family Separation
Two fathers who were separated from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border as a result of the Trump administration’s policies are suing the government for $12 million, claiming the children were subject to abuse and neglect while in federal custody. The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court of Arizona, argues that the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy was “cruel and unconstitutional.” “The United States government tore these families apart pursuant to a cruel and unconstitutional policy: The government intended to inflict terror and harm on these small children and their fathers, as a means of deterring others from seeking to enter the United States,” the lawsuit said. (Weixel, 1/10)
CNN: Fathers Say Their Children Were Abused At Foster Homes After Being Separated At US-Mexico Border
The fathers also allege in the lawsuit that their children were abused by other children while in government custody. In a statement released by the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the fathers described the pain he said he and his family endured. "He was taken from me and I had no idea what was happening to him. When I learned that he was abused by other boys, I was sick with grief," said the father, who's identified in the lawsuit by his initials, A.P.F. "No one deserves this cruelty." (Shoichet, 1/10)
The Associated Press: Suit Over Border Patrol Detention Conditions Goes To Trial
A years-old lawsuit challenging detention conditions in several of the Border Patrol’s Arizona stations will go to trial Monday as the agency as a whole has come under fire following several migrant deaths. The lawsuit filed in 2015 applies to eight Border Patrol facilities in Arizona where attorneys say migrants are held in unsafe and inhumane conditions. (Galvan, 1/12)
