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Feds to Open Border Tent Courts to Public

December 31, 2019 (1 min read)

Michelle Hackman, Wall Street Journal, Dec. 29, 2019

"The Department of Homeland Security is opening makeshift immigration tent courts erected along the U.S.-Mexico border to the public, following months of criticism over a lack of transparency. ... “In an effort to ensure consistency, clarity, and transparency, the acting secretary directed [component agencies] to formalize guidance for public access to these facilities, consistent with immigration courts across the country,” said Heather Swift, a DHS spokeswoman.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the structures, issued guidance last week instructing officers in Texas to allow journalists and other members of the public inside to observe proceedings. Visitors still may be required to register, but they won’t need advance permission to enter a tent-court facility."