The Flores agreement has protected migrant children for nearly 3 decades. Changes may be coming.

The Biden administration is expected to try to partially end a 27-year-old agreement that provides court oversight of how the federal government cares for migrant children in its custody, according to an attorney with Children's Rights, which represents children in the case.

The anticipated move comes weeks after the Health and Human Services Department published its own rule on safeguards, effective July 1, that Secretary Xavier Becerra said will set “clear standards for the care and treatment of unaccompanied (migrant) children.”

Children’s advocates say what is known as the Flores agreement has been instrumental in guaranteeing safe conditions for children, especially amid rising border detentions over the past two years that included nearly 300,000 unaccompanied minors.

Here is a look at the Flores agreement and why it matters:

WHAT IS THE FLORES AGREEMENT?

The 1997 agreement was the result of over a decade of litigation between attorneys representing the rights of migrant children and the U.S. government over widespread allegations of mistreatment in the 1980s.

The original lawsuit was filed on behalf of four teenagers including Jenny Lisette Flores, a 15-year-old from El Salvador. The lawsuit detailed how Flores and the other plaintiffs were held by the government for extended periods of time, often in facilities with unrelated adults, and did not receive education or proper medical treatment.

The agreement set standards for the detention, treatment and release of minors. It mandates that migrant children be released without necessary delay to family, a child welfare program or an adult seeking custody if family reunification is not possible. The vast majority of children released in such cases go to close