The Biden government will allow families separated on the southern border by the Trump administration to reunite and remain in the United States, the White House announced on Monday.
“We hope to bring families together, either here or in their country of origin. We hope to be in a position to give you the election. And if, in fact, they seek to meet here in the United States, we will explore legal avenues for them to remain in the United States and meet the needs of the family, ”Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro MayorkasCollins urges Biden to revise the order over the boundaries of the US-Canada border Politics, not racism or sexism, explains opposition to Biden’s Cabinet nominees Florida Republicans pressure Biden to implement Trump’s order in Venezuela MORE said at a press conference.
“We are acting in the most restorative way possible.”
Under the old President Trump
Donald TrumpSacha Baron Cohen calls ‘danger of lies, hatred and conspiracies’ in Golden Globe speech Sorkin uses the quote by Abbie Hoffman to condemn Capitol violence: Democracy is ‘something you do’ Former Trump adviser, Pierson, planning to run for Congress MOREAccording to the family separation policy, some 2,800 families were separated in 2018. While some were reunited, another 550 children were not reconnected with their parents under the previous administration.
Mayorkas, head of the family reunification task force created by President biden
Joe BidenBiden supports Senate Democrats ‘Plan B’ union organizing efforts to raise the minimum wage Kavanaugh discourages conservatives by dodging pro-Trump electoral processes MORE, said his government has already brought together 105 families.
Immigration advocates have argued that the Biden administration needs to not only bring families together, but also seek to compensate those harmed under the Trump administration.
“We applaud Secretary Mayorkas’ commitment to remedy the torture and abuse of families that have been separated from their children in immigration proceedings. Of course, the devil is in the details and Secretary Mayorkas has to get rid of all the qualifications and qualifications surrounding his announcement and move on with whatever is necessary to correct the error, “said the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union , Anthony Romero, in a statement Trump’s “zero tolerance policy” that resulted in the separations for Japanese-American internment during World War II.
Mayorkas, however, was sparse in detail about what legal route would be offered to families who choose to stay in the United States, making it unclear what type of work permit could be granted.
“We must have a legislative solution to allow families affected by zero tolerance to remain in the United States. A path to permanent citizenship must be offered, given what they have been through, ”said Jorge Loweree, policy director for the American Immigration Council.
Such an aspect could be included in Biden’s immigration legislation that is being discussed in Congress, although the project has already generated significant resistance from Republicans.
The White House also made it unclear whether the policy would be offered to those who have already met with their children.
“Reunification needs to happen as quickly as possible, but we also need to think about working to address the significant damage that the government has inflicted on all families that have been impacted by the policy previously,” said Loweree, adding that “there is long-term and lasting damage with which many children and parents will have to deal with, possibly for life ”, as a result of the separation.
Mayorkas also announced on Monday that Michelle Brané, who most recently ran the Migrants’ Rights and Justice program at the Commission for Refugee Women, would serve as executive director of the task force.
—Updated at 1:30 pm