Nearly a thousand migrant children, separated from their parents under the mandate of former US President Donald Trump, have not yet been reunited with them, the government of his Democratic successor said Thursday.
Anxious to correct what he considered a “national disgrace,” Joe Biden had set up a cell dedicated to identifying and locating the families of migrants separated under the mandate of his Republican predecessor upon his arrival at the White House.
“To date, the task force has identified 3,924 children separated” from their families between 2017 and 2021, of which 998 have not yet been reunited with their parents, the Department of Homeland Security announced after two years of work.
“We understand that this essential work is not finished”
Among them, 148 are “in the process” of incorporation and “183 families have been informed of the possibility of being regrouped,” he added in a statement.
“We understand that this essential work is not finished,” said Interior Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas. “The task force continues to try to contact separated families to offer them the possibility of reuniting in the United States,” he added.
The Donald Trump administration, which had made the fight against illegal immigration a milestone of its presidency, had raised in 2017 the idea of separating the families of migrants who entered the United States illegally, as a means of deterrence.
His policy called “Zero Tolerance” was officially launched in April 2018. It consisted of initiating criminal proceedings against anyone who entered illegally across the border with Mexico. Consequence: Parents could be immediately detained without their children.
Source: BFM TV
