White House accuses judge of playing 'activist' role after latest ICE ruling

Immigrants seeking asylum hold hands as they leave a cafeteria at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.

(Image credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must release children currently held in the country's three family detention centers for more than 20 days by July 17 because of concerns over the coronavirus, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of California ordered Friday.

Gee said the centers, which house 124 children, are "on fire," citing one Texas facility that has at least 11 confirmed cases, and the children should be released to "non-congregate settings" and "suitable sponsors," including potentially their own parents, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The ruling applies only to children and does not compel ICE to release their parents, but it does suggest the agency could use tracking devices on some parents if it's the only way to release children safely.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.