Lawyers representing migrant children in U.S. custody on Monday asked a federal court to order the release of teenagers being held at two emergency housing sites in Texas.
As CBS News reports, teens at the facilities have reported mental distress, prolonged stays and substandard living conditions. The attorneys representing the migrants accused the Biden administration of violating the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which sets certain standards that facilities housing migrant minors must meet.
The two Texas facilities in question are located at the Fort Bliss Army base and at a camp for oil workers in the remote town of Pecos.
In court documents filed on Monday, the attorneys said children had been exposed to “deplorable conditions,” as well as receiving little in the way of religious and educational services or recreation.
CBS notes that this is the first time the Biden administration has been sued by attorneys working to ensure that the government is adhering to the Flores agreement.
In the court documents, multiple children were quoted as speaking on how the conditions at the facilities negatively impacted their mental health.
Two brother said they had been held at the facility for 65 days despite having an uncle in Houston who was willing to take them in.
“Every day, I wake up and feel very sad. I am frustrated because I see other kids leave before me,” one of the brothers said in court testimony.
CBS reports that there are currently 1,800 and 800 unaccompanied minors at Fort Bliss and Pecos, respectively.