Immigration judges have been putting up CDC coronavirus prevention posters in their courtrooms. The Trump administration just ordered them to take them down. miamiherald.com/news/local/imm…
To be really really clear, these are government-issued posters on mitigating coronavirus transmission, produced by the CDC and put up voluntarily by immigration judges in their own work spaces. And the Trump DOJ has ORDERED that they be taken down nationwide.
A lot of folks are asking why the Trump admin would ban coronavirus prevention posters from immigration courts. There's no reasoning given in the order, and no admin officials responded to the Herald's requests for comment.
"The Exec Office for Immigration Review, which falls under the Dept of Justice, told all judges and staff members in an email Monday that all coronavirus posters, which explain in English and Spanish how to prevent catching and spreading the virus, had to be removed immediately."
It's presumably some combination of coronavirus denialism and resentment of judicial independence of the executive and anti-immigrant animus and obsequiousness to Trump and kneejerk rule following and straight-up authoritarianism—but in who knows what proportions.
The DOJ told CNN last night that the directive to take down the posters shouldn't have been issued, but it's unclear whether it has actually been rescinded.
