Immigration Law Clinic Reaches Key Settlements Protecting Detained Youths

The UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic reached landmark settlements on behalf of children held in immigration custody.  

Along with the National Center for Youth Law, Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, and Cooley LLP, the clinic arrived at settlements in the 2018 Lucas v. Becerra case regarding detained children with disabilities;  psychotropic medications; and access to counsel.

As a Nov. 14 press release details, the first settlement “compels the government, for the first time, to identify and track youth in its custody with disabilities.” The medication settlement “requires the government … to follow an informed consent protocol, ensuring that youths and their families can meaningfully participate in the consent process.”

The access-to-counsel settlement “ensures that youth have unobstructed access to attorneys, particularly as they navigate issues related to their placement, release, and administration of psychotropic medications.”

Immigration Law Clinic Co-Director Holly Cooper calls the settlements a “giant step forward” in protecting detained migrant children.

Read the full press release.