The Obama administration took another blow from the federal judiciary on immigration policy last week after a judge ordered the release of detained illegal immigrants.
Calling conditions ‘deplorable’, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ruled that the detention of woman and children who crossed the border in recent months violates a nearly two-decade-old settlement against the practice.
The judge has given the administration until August 3 to reply with its plans on what it will do with the more than 17,000 immigrants being held in three detention facilities in Texas and Pennsylvania.
The ruling comes as another check from the courts after an Appeals Court ruled earlier in the year that the president’s executive amnesty plan could be blocked by a lower court.
A Homeland Defense spokesperson responded with disappointment promising that the Department of Justice will review the decision before answering the court.
The decision further exacerbates the hot-button issue which has climbed back among the top three concerns for voters amid the ongoing brouhaha over Donald Trump’s recent comments.