Trump DOJ Pushes to End Flores Decree, Citing Immigration Surge

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice has launched a bold move to dismantle the Flores Consent Decree, a nearly three-decade-old agreement governing the detention of migrant children in the U.S. In a filing in Los Angeles federal court, Attorney General Pam Bondi argues that the decree, established in 1997, has become a magnet for illegal immigration, clogging the southern border with unintended consequences.

The Flores decree sets standards for the care and custody of unaccompanied migrant children, but the DOJ, backed by the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, claims it’s outdated. "This relic from 1997 is handcuffing our ability to enforce an America-first immigration policy," Bondi stated, pointing to shifts in migration patterns, including surges of families and children from beyond the Western Hemisphere. The government wants the power to manage these policies returned to elected officials in Washington, not a single California judge.

But here’s the catch: U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee, who’s been overseeing this case for years, will hear the motion on July 18. She’s unlikely to wave goodbye to Flores easily, which could spark a legal showdown all the way to the Supreme Court. The DOJ argues that Congress and federal agencies have already addressed the decree’s original concerns, rendering it an obsolete roadblock.

Since its inception, Flores has ballooned to cover accompanied children too, a move the DOJ says was never intended. With immigration dynamics shifting—think global pandemics, orchestrated surrenders to Border Patrol, and changing demographics—the administration says this one-size-fits-all decree is paralyzing policy. The stakes are high, and the outcome could reshape how America handles its youngest border crossers.