It’s fitting that a daughter of immigrants was the one to rule on the Trump administration’s request to detain migrant children and their families indefinitely. In July, Judge Dolly Gee of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles held that there was no basis to amend the Flores Settlement Agreement, which requires children to be released within 20 days, allowing for the release of some families on bond while they await their court dates rather than be held long-term while their cases make their way through the courts. “What is certain is that the children who are the beneficiaries of the Flores Agreement’s protections…are blameless,” Gee wrote.
It’s fitting that a daughter of immigrants ruled on the Trump administration’s request to detain migrant children indefinitely.
The decision came as no surprise to those following her career. Gee has long fought for the downtrodden, having advocated for labor unions and affirmative action in her time as a lawyer. She also represented the victims of the 1992 Rodney King riots pro bono.
The first Chinese-American woman to become a federal judge (she was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009), Gee was inspired to enter the profession by a childhood spent helping her mother, a Chinese-born garment worker, with job applications and at doctor’s appointments. “I saw the difficulties she encountered as a non-English speaker,” Gee said in an interview with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association in March. “I wanted to do some type of work that would help to address…the inequities I saw as a child.” No doubt her latest ruling made her mom proud.
MORE FROM THE IMMIGRATION ISSUE
-
Nebulyft’s Newest Launch Is Going to Change the Way You Think About Aging, Guaranteed.Sponsored Meet the N1 Multipolar Micro-RF Anti-Aging Device.
By Sponsored •
-
Nordstrom's Black Friday 2021 Sale: Our Picks
One of the biggest sales of the year has begun!
By The Editors •
-
Kate Middleton's Ray-Ban Sunglasses Are 30% Off for Black Friday
Both her favorite sunglasses styles are on sale!
By Sally Holmes •
-
Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson's Relationship Is No More
After three years of dating, the power couple have decided they're better off as friends.
By Marie Claire Editors •
-
Education for Women and Girls Is Crucial for Climate Justice
In an excerpt from her new book, 'A Bigger Picture,' Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate discusses the impact educated African women and girls can have on solving the climate crisis.
By Vanessa Nakate •
-
It’s Time to End Equal Pay Days and Pass the Equal Rights Amendment
The passage of the ERA is a chance for our country to prove it truly values women.
By Hala Ayala •
-
In Conversation: Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Emily Tisch Sussman
“It’s ridiculous that we’re the only advanced nation on the planet that doesn’t help families with childcare.”
By Emily Tisch Sussman •
-
EMILY's List President Laphonza Butler Has Big Plans for the Organization
Under Butler's leadership, the largest resource for women in politics aims to expand Black political power and become more accessible for candidates across the nation.
By Rachel Epstein •
-
Anita Hill Believes We Can End Gender Violence
Three decades after her landmark testimony in the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, the esteemed professor and lawyer has a message for leaders: The time is now to prioritize anti-gender violence policies.
By Rachel Epstein •
-
For Teachers, Going to Work Can Mean Life or Death
Stefanie Minguell, a COVID survivor and second grade teacher in Florida's Broward County, almost died of COVID-19 and is immunocomprised. When she teaches in the classroom, she’s forced to choose between her health and her students.
By Megan DiTrolio •
-
Periods Don’t Stop for Pandemics—And Neither Have Our Nation’s Moms
Policies touted in the $3.5 trillion budget plan and other Congressional bills are missing a core component of maternal well-being: menstrual access and health.
By Christy Turlington Burns •
