Professor Cooper, students in Los Angeles for key victory in Flores case

On Sept. 27, federal Judge Dolly Gee blocked Trump administration regulations that would have allowed migrant children to be detained indefinitely. Judge Gee found the regulations violated the 1997 Flores settlement agreement, which established basic standards for the treatment of children in detention.

Professor and Immigration Law Clinic Co-director Holly Cooper, an attorney in the Flores case, was present for the judge’s ruling in Los Angeles, as were Immigration Law Clinic students Monica Monsalve ’21 and Maria Walker ’21.

Monsalve and Walker have conducted legal research, assisted with site inspections of detention centers and interviewed detained children on behalf of the clinic.

Cooper spoke to NBC News, Las Vegas’ KNTV and other outlets about the Flores win.

"It's an enormous victory for migrant children in this country," Cooper told NBC about Gee’s decision.

Professor Holly S. Cooper ’98, co-director of the Immigration Law Clinic, has extensive litigation experience defending the rights of immigrants and is a nationally recognized expert on immigration detention issues and on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions.