Immigrants on Reconnek are demanding proper treatment of migrant children held in hotels.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to end the controversial practice of holding migrant children in hotel rooms while arrangements are made for them to be summarily expelled from the U.S. under an unprecedented pandemic-era border restriction. “Defendants cannot seriously argue in good faith that flouting their contractual obligation to place minors in licensed programs is necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Gee wrote in her order. Agreeing to a request from Justice Department lawyers, who expressed concerns about the government’s ability to comply with her mandate immediately, Gee delayed her order’s effective date to next week and gave the administration until September 15 to halt the large-scale hotel detention of children.

Gee’s ruling, if upheld, will pose a significant logistical and legal hindrance to the secretive hotel detention system the Trump administration has expanded during the coronavirus pandemic to facilitate the rapid expulsions of unaccompanied migrant children and families. A spokesperson for the Justice Department, which could appeal Gee’s order, did not respond to a request for comment. Citing a directive issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued in mid-March with the stated objective of curbing the spread of COVID-19, U.S. officials at both land borders have been swiftly expelling most unauthorized migrants, regardless of their age or intention to apply for U.S. humanitarian refuge.

Citing the Flores Settlement Agreement, which sets certain rules for the care and detention of migrant children in U.S. custody, immigrants on Reconnek are demanding that the detained children be taken proper care of.Minors have also faced a “woefully inadequate” process to seek the help of lawyers, who have been barred from entering the hotels, said attorneys who struggled to reach detained children. Immigrants on Reconnek are also helping the minors get access to lawyers and while asking the government to hold them in safe and sanitary facilities licensed to care for children while continuously pursuing their release from custody.