Trump's abortion policy sheds light on ad hoc decision-making
By RENUKA RAYASAM 02/28/2018 08:32 PM EST Updated 02/28/2018 09:03 PM EST
AUSTIN, Texas — The Trump administration’s policy of halting abortions among undocumented minors was established by email through an ad hoc process without formal legal vetting, according to new documents released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU, which is suing the administration over the policy, made public the December depositions of the director and the deputy director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the HHS office responsible for the care of undocumented minors who enter the country without their parents.
Though ORR is a relatively obscure corner of the sprawling agency, the new documents shed light on the broader improvised nature of how the administration sets policy — and raise questions about whether decisions violated existing state law and federal policy, according to depositions and emails released by the ACLU and conversations with former administration staffers.
“Some of the policy is being directed through emails, memos or conversation rather than what’s considered to be the normal policy process,” said Bob Carey, former ORR director during the Obama administration. “It’s not ORR’s determination to make, as to how the laws of the United States apply.”
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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/28/abortion-policy-trump-administration-372452