Obama Judge Rules Taxpayers Must Pay for Mental Health Services to Separated Migrant Families
A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. government must provide mental health services to the thousands of migrant parents and children who were separated at the southern border.
In a ruling late Tuesday, Judge John Kronstadt of the United States District Court in Los Angeles found the Trump administration responsible for the mental trauma caused by separating illegal alien families, according to a report from the New York Times. Kronstadt issued a preliminary injunction, ordering the administration to make available mental health services for those who experienced forced separation.
Psychological counseling and mental health screenings are among the services that must be provided by the Trump administration. These services — likely to be provided for a long period of time — are expected to be an expensive undertaking by the government, given the large number of illegal aliens who were subjected to separation.
“This is truly groundbreaking,” the dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, Erwin Chemerinsky, said to the Times about the ruling. “The court is recognizing that when a government creates a danger that inflicts trauma, the government is responsible for providing a solution. It is not something I have seen a court do before.”
The ruling was brought on by a class action lawsuit by three refugee mothers who were separated from their children upon their arrival at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kronstadt’s preliminary injunction also marks the latest development since the Trump administration introduced, and then quickly ended, its most controversial immigration enforcement policy.
Faced with a rising number of illegal aliens appearing before the U.S.-Mexico border, then-Attorney General Sessions introduced a “zero tolerance” policy in April 2018, which directed attorneys at the southern border to dramatically increase its prosecution of illegal border crossers. As a result, criminal charges climbed dramatically as a higher number of migrant parents also faced prosecution.
However, a consequence to the “zero tolerance” measure was that more migrant families began to be separated as adults were placed into detention while their children were transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services. A massive media backlash ensued, prompting President Donald Trump to nix the policy by executive order in June 2018 by way of executive order.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in June 2018 estimated that around 3,000 alien children were likely separated upon arrival at the U.S. southern border, a higher number than previously expected.
Kronstadt — who was nominated to his position by former President Barack Obama — ultimately found that the government can be deemed liable of “deliberate indifference” if they place individuals in dangerous situations. The decision marks the latest ruling against the administration’s immigration agenda at the hands of Obama-appointed judges, highlighting the influence of the judicial branch in the fight over immigration enforcement.
Nevertheless, the White House is expected to appeal the latest ruling.
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It’s unfair to make us pay for this mental health care. If the illegals had stayed home they wouldn’t have had to be separated from each other. Is this decision a precedent for criminals in our country, who are separated from their families when they go to jail, to be allowed to sue to make us taxpayers pay for their “trauma” too? They brought it on themselves. Something needs to be done now to protect us taxpayers from having to dip into our pockets to pay for the problems of illegals. Enough is enough.
Oh ! Good Grief!!! It’s hard to believe that all of this time I didn’t realize it was our government that brought them here and not the parents !!! (she said tongue in cheek)
By all means spend tax dollars ion illegals while OUR VETERANS GO WITHOUT and are finding suicide as their only escape from sights that can’t be unseen as they fought to protect you & I. OUTRAGEOUS doesn’t begin to cover this SIN !
#1 Azar said “estimates” 3000 children that were traumatized by being drug thousands of miles without rest, food through the heat by were separated from parent.
#2 We KNOW not every separation was from an actual parent.
There is little doubt that these children suffered, yet there’s no proof in this pudding that it was all at the hands of OUR United States.
There is UNDENIABLE PROOF that OUR OWN brave men and women unselfishly gave themselves all they could so that we could continue to be the greatest Nation known to man while trying to bring some of the same opportunities to other countries.
We have cemeteries in six foreign lands filled with 1000’s that never came home….We have families that are separated by a parents military deployment…..are their children less important???
Which of these Obama appointed judges will stand face to face with a veteran living in the streets and tell them. “You aren’t as important as the illegal (criminal trespasser)”
Americans that value this glorious nation must STAND & BE COUNTED ,We are approaching a “now or never” time to act IF we are to remain a Sovereign “One Nation under GOD”
We are a compassionate people, but factually if we don’t take care of ourselves first, we will reach a point where we can’t care for anyone….including ourselves.
For GOD, Country & family ….first!!