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It Will Now Be Harder For Unaccompanied Immigrant Children To Languish In Government Custody

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The US reached a settlement Thursday that establishes fingerprinting deadlines for parents and sponsors trying to get unaccompanied immigrant children out of government custody.

Under the settlement, which expires in two years, the government has seven days to schedule fingerprinting appointments and 10 days to finish processing them. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which houses immigrant children who cross the border alone, will also be required to regularly release reports that would, for the first time, track how long fingerprinting takes.

In 2018, the Trump administration started requiring every household member where an unaccompanied child would be living to undergo fingerprinting and an extensive background check, instead of only the sponsor. The policy also required that parents be fingerprinted, which had previously only been done when there was a safety concern.

The widened scope of who was required to be fingerprinted increased the amount of time immigrant children spent in ORR custody by weeks and in some cases even months.

Blanca Ortiz, a plaintiff in the case, said her two sons were in ORR custody for four months as a result of the policy.

“I’ll always remember the months when the government kept me separated from my two sons. There is no greater pain that can be caused than when you separate a child from their mother,” Ortiz said in a statement. “My sons suffered tremendously while in custody. I never, never want to go through this again, and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. It is inhumane.”

The settlement’s deadlines establish measures that would make it difficult for a future administration to reinstate a fingerprinting policy like the one named in the lawsuit, said Stephen Kang, an attorney for the ACLU, which took part in the legal action.

“Even Trump’s ORR said this was not workable,” Kang said. “Our hope is that the settlement enshrines certain deadlines and time requirements for when fingerprints need to be processed.”

The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately return a request for comment.

After the lawsuit was filed and following public outcry, the Trump administration reversed the background check policy in December 2018. At the time, HHS conceded and said the additional background checks generally failed to produce new information showing the child would be at risk. It only resulted in the unaccompanied children being held longer at shelters.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, the National Center for Youth Law, and the international law firm Morrison Foerster also took part in the lawsuit.

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27 Dresses You Can Wear With and Without Tights

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FYI, this is included in Prime Wardrobe so you can give it a trial run if you’re a member!

Promising review: “This dress did not disappoint! Due to my height and reading other reviews, I decided to go up a size. It fits loose on my body, giving it a baggier style which I wanted. It is slightly see-through with the tan color that I got, but because I was wearing black tights and a black cami, there was no issue. On my first day wearing it to work, I got at least four compliments on it. It’s an appropriate length but also could be used for a date night outfit.” —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in sizes S–XL and in 19 colors).

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38 Organization Products From Amazon Our Readers Are Loving So Far In 2023

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Shacke is a small business that specializes in packing organization essentials. 

Promising review: “I am officially sold on packing cubes!! These things are amazing! I can’t believe I’ve been packing without them my whole life. The mesh lining allows you to peek inside, and I was able to pack all my clothes, shoes, and toiletries for a 10-day trip to Europe. I packed them as I normally would first, and then packed them in the packing cubes. There was SO much more room in my luggage after packing everything in the cubes! Items I fit in the cubes and bag include two jackets, one jean vest, four pants/capris, two pairs of shorts, one romper, four dresses, one maxi skirt, seven tank tops, four shirts, three camisoles, three pajama sets, 15 undies, six pairs of socks, and four pairs of shoes. But why are you still reading?? Go buy these cubes!” —Tiffany

Price: $21.99 (available in ten colors)

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20 Stylish Bathing Suits From Target You’ll Love To Show Off

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Promising review: “This is the one. It covers everything, but with the slit, it is not as matronly. Beautiful, supportive, and fun, fun, fun. I immediately ordered a second one.” —JaneJane

Price: $107.96 (originally $134.95; available in regular sizes 2–16, plus sizes 16–26, D cup sizes 4–18, and 10 colors)

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