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HHS cuts funds for detained unaccompanied minors' education, recreation

The Office of Refugee Resettlement began canceling funding for recreational programs, English classes and "legal aid for unaccompanied minors staying in federal migrant shelters" across the U.S. last week, according to an email sent to an HHS official and obtained by the Washington Post.

Where it stands: This funding cut could "run afoul of a federal court settlement and state licensing requirements that mandate education and recreation for minors in federal custody," the Post reports.

The other side: "Federal officials have warned Congress that they are facing 'a dramatic spike' in unaccompanied minors at the southern border and have asked Congress for $2.9 billion in emergency funding to expand shelters and care," the Post reports.

  • "The program could run out of money in late June, and the agency is legally obligated to direct funding to essential services," U.S. Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber told the Post.

What to watch: "I think it'll be subject to legal challenges, subject to pushback ... but the animated legal strategy is to push the boundaries of what they can do," immigration lawyer and advocate R. Andrew Free tells Axios.

Go deeper ... Report: Immigrants quarantined in over 30 ICE centers for mumps

Go deeper

Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
48 mins ago - Technology

Big Tech bolts politics

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Big Tech fed politics. Then it bled politics. Now it wants to be dead to politics. 

Why it matters: The social platforms that profited massively on politics and free speech suddenly want a way out — or at least a way to hide until the heat cools. 

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Felix Salmon, author of Capital
53 mins ago - Economy & Business

GameStop as a metaphor

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A half-forgotten and unprofitable videogame retailer is, bizarrely and incredibly, on the lips of the nation. That's because the GameStop story touches on economic and cultural forces that affect everyone, whether they own a single share of stock or not.

Why it matters: In most Wall Street fights, the broader public doesn't have a rooting interest. This one — where a group of small traders won a multi-billion-dollar bet against giant hedge funds by buying stock in GameStop — is different.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Jennifer A. Kingson
1 hour ago - World

"Megacities" on the rise

Data: Macrotrends; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Places with more than 10 million residents — known as megacities — are becoming more common as people from rural areas migrate to urban ones.

Why it matters: The benefits of megacities — which include opportunities for upward mobility and higher wages — can be offset by their negatives, like the fact that they're breeding grounds for COVID-19.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow