Trump Admin Ordered English And Spanish Coronavirus Posters Removed From Immigration Courtrooms, Then Said It Was A Mistake
CDC
A Department of Justice immigration office told immigration court staff members on Monday that all coronavirus posters, which provided information regarding the spread of the virus in both English and Spanish, had to be removed.
Christopher A. Santoro, the U.S.’s acting chief immigration judge, sent a nationwide email to immigration court staff, which stated, “This is just a reminder that immigration judges do not have the authority to post, or ask you to post, signage for their individual courtrooms or the waiting areas.”
“Per our leadership, the CDC flyer is not authorized for posting in the immigration courts. If you see one (attached), please remove it. Thank you,” it said.
The Miami Herald published a story regarding the removal of the CDC posters, which quickly prompted a Department of Justice spokesman to contact the paper, stating, “the signs shouldn’t have been removed. It’s now being rectified.”
Santoro’s email was sent out after the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) suggested in a message that immigration judges and staff post the flyers to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The NAIJ responded to the removal of the precautionary flyers in a post on Twitter:
NAIJ had recommended to immigration judges that they post in courthouses the English and Spanish language versions of the CDC’s “Stop the Spread of Germs” and “Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019” posters. EOIR ordered that they be removed.
— Immigration Judges (NAIJ) (@Imm_Judges_NAIJ) March 9, 2020
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