Appeals court rules Trump administration must provide hygiene products at migrant facilities

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a previous court order mandating the Trump administration provide basic personal hygiene items to children in detention at facilities in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.

The ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Fransisco hands a loss to the Trump administration, which had challenged a lower court decision two years ago ordering U.S. officials to provide basic personal hygiene items as well as adequate sleeping conditions, temperatures and food and water to children in detention at facilities in the Rio Grande Valley.

{mosads}The appeals court’s ruling essentially backs the two-decade old Flores agreement, which mandates key aspects of how immigrant children can be held by authorities, including that they be kept under the “least restrictive conditions” possible.

“Assuring that children eat enough edible food, drink clean water, are housed in hygienic facilities with sanitary bathrooms, have soap and toothpaste, and are not sleep-deprived are without doubt essential to the children’s safety,” the appeals court panel ruled.

“The district court properly construed the agreement as requiring such conditions rather than allowing the government to decide whether to provide them,” they added.

The Justice Department declined to comment to The Hill.

Justice Department attorney Sarah Fabian made headlines in June when she argued before the panel that the Flores agreement did not specify that the government was required to provide soap or oral hygiene products.

Updated at 5:03 p.m.