The Trump administration’s Zero Tolerance policy in 2018 separated thousands of children from their parents and families. The devastation and trauma caused by these cruelty politics are irrevocable–no child should ever have to be ripped from the arms of their parents and families.
Now, immigrant rights groups, including RAICES and Families Belong Together, along with allies and elected officials, are concerned that we are in the face of a new family separation wave disguised under ICE’s ‘binary choice’ policy. Families held in detention centers have had to choose between remaining detained with their children or being separated from them. It is a painful, inhumane decision to make during a pandemic that is also being described as a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ scenario.
In addition to immigrant rights groups, the fraught situation has caught the attention of 67 members of Congress, who are calling out for a stop to the binary choice policy.
Here’s what news outlets have reported over the past week:
CNN[5/21/20]: Democrats request information on reports of family separation in detention
Advocates and immigration lawyers shared anecdotes of detained families distraught over their encounters with ICE last week, describing meetings between parents and ICE officers regarding whether their children would remain in custody with the parent or be turned over to a sponsor in the US.
Families detained in all three ICE detention facilities — Berks in Pennsylvania, South Texas (Dilley), and Karnes County Family Residential Centers in Texas — shared similar stories. Children at the facilities range from 1 year old to 17 years old, according to lawyers and advocates who provide legal assistance.
The New York Times[5/20/20]: More Than 900 Children Have Been Expelled Under a Pandemic Border Policy
Since the coronavirus broke out, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of migrant children alone — in some cases, without notifying their families.
Houston Public Media/ProPublica: The Trump administration is rushing deportations of migrant children during coronavirus
Their father was missing. Their mother was miles away in Houston. Two sisters, ages 8 and 11, were survivors of sexual assault and at risk of deportation. With the nation focused on COVID-19, the U.S. government is rushing the deportations of migrant children.
NBC News [5/18/20]: Faced with choice, migrant parents in ICE detention refuse to separate from children
Late last week, ICE officers presented parents with the option of separating from their children or remaining together in detention indefinitely. A copy of the form presented to the parents was obtained by NBC News.
Lawyers representing the immigrant families said that ICE would more easily be able to deport adults separated from their children and that the parents feared they would not be reunited with their children if they were separated.
Daily Kos [5/15/20]: ICE is forcing parents to choose between family separation or indefinite detention, advocates say
“Allegedly, ICE just began giving mothers a form that has them decide if they want their child released to a sponsor, or to remain in detention,” tweeted immigration reporter Jack Herrera, who was on a press call held by a number of organizations that advocate for detained families. “If the mothers do not agree to their child being separated, the form claims they have ‘waived’ their child’s right to release.”
