US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has rescinded critical internal policies intended to protect vulnerable individuals in custody, including pregnant women, infants, and those with serious medical conditions. Outlined in a May 5 memo, the rollback affects four key policies from the Biden administration aimed at ensuring adequate care and expedited processing for at-risk detainees. The agency justified this decision by deeming the policies 'obsolete' and 'misaligned' with current enforcement priorities, prompting criticism that this reflects a detrimental shift in priorities concerning humane treatment and care for vulnerable populations.
CBP justified the rollback by stating in the memo titled 'Rescission of Legacy Policies Related to Care and Custody' that the policies were 'obsolete' and 'misaligned' with the agency's current enforcement priorities.
The now-rescinded policies laid out standards for detainees with heightened medical needs, requiring, for instance, access to water and food for pregnant people and ensuring privacy for breastfeeding mothers.
'It's appalling and it's just an extension of the culture of cruelty that the administration is trying to perpetrate,' says Sarah Mehta, deputy director of Government Affairs for the ACLU's Equality Division.
The decision, outlined in a memo dated May 5 and signed by Acting Commissioner Pete Flores, eliminates four Biden era policies enacted over the last three years.
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