The District’s increased minimum wage will give many student workers financial security.

Meanwhile, a law school alumna working for the U.S. Department of Justice faced backlash after a video of her defending the conditions in migrant detainment facilities went viral.

Here’s the best and worst from this week’s headlines:

Thumb Up:

The District took the first steps to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2020, raising the hourly wage to $14 effective Monday. The raise is mandated under the District’s Fair Shot Minimum Wage Amendment Act, which was passed in 2016.

GW is one of the most expensive schools in the District, partially because of the relatively high costs of living on an urban campus. An increased minimum wage will at least keep some students on par with the cost of living in D.C. Both federal work study recipients and other student workers will have a more livable wage when they can work fewer hours and earn more money.

Student employees are often limited on the number of hours they can work while they balance classes, homework and extracurriculars. The increased minimum wage will allow them to make more without upping the amount of time they spend on the job, which will allow them more time to be a student and enjoy being in the District.

Although the increase is only a marginal rise from the previous $13.25 minimum wage, the extra cash will still make living in the District easier in an already pricey city.

Thumbs Down:

After law school alumna Sarah Fabian defended the federal government’s treatment of detained migrants as a lawyer for the U.S Justice Department, spurring public outrage on social media.

Fabian argued that the government is not responsible for providing specific amenities, like toothbrushes or towels, to maintain a sanitary environment for detained migrants. While her argument may have had some merit, it was largely flawed.

Video of her testimony went viral, and most major news organizations like The New York Times and The Washington Post picked up the news. Politicians and activists responded to her testimony, saying that not providing resources for migrants is inhumane and hazardous for the lives of migrants and workers. While Fabian apologized for her words, people should recognize that the government needs to give migrants the proper resources to live while they are kept in government facilities.

In her defense, Fabian claimed that the government was providing a safe and sanitary environment but that they are not required to give specific amenities like soap and toothbrushes. She said the treatment of migrants is not against the law, which may be true, but that does not make it right.

Hannah Thacker, a freshman studying Political Communication, is The Hatchet’s contributing opinions editor.