The Flores Settlement Agreement - A Visual Guide - Southwest Key Programs

Flores Settlement Agreement history and impact graphic

The Flores Settlement Agreement – A Visual Guide

by Southwest Key Programs

Immigrant Stories, Shelters

October 19, 2020

Immigrant children's shelters and the Flores Settlement Agreement. A visual guide to the history & impact

15-year-old Jenny Flores was apprehended while crossing the United States-Mexico border on a journey from El Salvador. Jenny was placed in a detention facility with adults where she was subjected to unsafe conditions. At the detention facility, Jenny Flores was regularly strip searched, forced to share living spaces and bathrooms with adult men, and told she could not be released to non-guardian relatives.

Jenny became a plaintiff in a class action lawsuit. In Jenny's lawsuit, she told the court that she and other kids like her were held for too long in conditions that were not good for kids.

After years of litigating in the lower courts and the supreme courts, Jenny Flores' case was settled. The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) and the federal government signed the Flores v. Reno Settlement Agreement, commonly known as the Flores Settlement Agreement, which protects the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children.

The FSA established terms and guidelines for the treatment of minors in the immigration system. Licensing and Regulatory Officials ensure that every child is treated with dignity and respect by ensuring the shelter programs meet the terms of the Flores Settlement Agreement (FSA).

State licensing authorities ensure these facilities comply with all applicable child welfare laws and regulations as well as state & local building, fire, health and safety codes. Shelter programs such as Southwest Key Programs meet and exceed federal, state and local licensing requirements through conscious guardian training, exemplary operations, trauma-informed care and stringent budgeting protocol.

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