U.S. Homeland Security officials are currently considering the best ways to handle the surge in migrants expected at the border once health restrictions, in effect since 2020, are lifted in May.
Detention would be one of many ideas on the table, but no definitive choice has been made, qualified sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press.
If this option were chosen, the families would be detained for short periods, perhaps only a few days, while their cases were processed in immigration court, an official said.
These sources spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly reveal the content of the internal discussions.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the rumors
on this subject. I’m not saying yes, I’m not saying no
, she said. She also declined to comment on whether President Biden believes detaining families is a practice. human
.
Under current policy, families arriving at the US-Mexico border are released to the United States and invited to appear in immigration court at a later date. At the height of the pandemic, few families were detained; instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials use these facilities to detain single adults who cross the border illegally.
However, due to record numbers of people arriving at the Mexican border, the United States has tightened its policies towards migrants. They come to the border to seek asylum after a dangerous and often deadly journey.
Unpopular idea
The possibility of detaining families again has been met with cold reception from immigration advocates, who cite studies as a reminder of how detrimental detention can be for children and families.
These defenders were also surprised to learn that this practice was the subject of internal discussions since they had been assured that it was no longer in the cards, they said.
The Biden administration is understood to be trying to balance its mission to protect the rights of people fleeing persecution with its desire to improve the order in which asylum claims are processed, but the detention of families has not out of place
according to the director of the Immigration Hub, Sergio Gonzales.
« We implore the administration to reject this shameful and retrograde practice. »
Mississippi Democrat Bennie Thompson is just as shocked.
Not only are these policies cruel and harmful to children, they do not prevent families from traveling to the United States.
he hammered.
128,410 migrants arrested in January
Illegal border crossings plummeted after Mr. Biden announced on Jan. 5 that Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans would be deported back to Mexico if they crossed the border illegally.
Along with the announcement, the administration added that up to 30,000 people from these four countries could enter the United States each month if they apply online.
Border Patrol stopped 128,410 migrants at the Mexican border in January, down 42% from December, which was the highest month on record. The February figure has not been made public, but it is believed to be around 130,000, according to an Associated Press source.
The United States has the capacity to house approximately 3,000 people in two family detention centers in Texas.
