Trump Administration Considers Tearing Families Apart at US-Mexico Border
According to three government officials, women and children crossing the United States-Mexico border together illegally could be separated by U.S. authorities under a proposal being considered by the Department of Homeland Security.
The Huffington Post reported, “Part of the reason for the proposal is to deter mothers from migrating to the United States with their children, said the officials, who have been briefed on the proposal.”
If enacted, this policy would allow the government to hold the parents in custody while their children would be put into protective custody with the Department of Health and Human Services.
Under the current laws, families fighting deportation or applying for asylum are released from detention and allowed to remain in the country until their cases are resolved. A federal appeals court ruling bars prolonged child detention.
However, Trump has called for ending this so-called “catch and release” – and Republicans in Congress have argued that women risk the journey because they know their court date will be set for years into the future.
Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center said implementing the new policy proposal “could create lifelong psychological trauma. Especially for children that have just completed a perilous journey from Central America.”
