A new rule would allow the Trump administration to detain migrant children indefinitely

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Trump administration is seeking to override a rule that prevents immigrant children from being detained for more than 20 days, NBC News reported Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security said it had created a new rule that will allow immigrant children to be detained with their parents indefinitely, and that the rule will go into effect in 60 days. The new rule will circumvent the 1997 Flores settlement, which determined that immigrant children seeking asylum in the U.S. could not be held for more than 20 days at a time, often leading to children being released with their parents at that time.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.