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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 26 June 2018

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Authorities abandon ‘zero-tolerance’ for immigrant families

Continued from Front bracelets, the parents said
they have not been told
Customs and Border Pro- when they will see their sons
tection Commissioner Kev- and daughters again.
in McAleenan said Mon- Addressing reporters in
day that President Donald Texas, McAleenan said he
Trump’s order last week stopped sending cases of
to stop splitting immigrant parents charged with il-
families at the border re- legally entering the coun-
quired a temporary halt to try to prosecutors “within
prosecuting parents and hours” after Trump signed
guardians, unless they had an executive order last
criminal history or the child’s week to cease the sepa-
welfare was in question. He rations. The commissioner
insisted the White House’s and Sessions insisted that
zero tolerance policy to- the administration’s policy
ward illegal entry remained remains in effect, even
intact. though immigrant parents
McAleenan’s comments are no longer being pros-
came shortly after Attor- ecuted under the new
ney General Jeff Sessions guidelines McAleenan said
defended the administra- he is working on a plan to
tion’s tactics in a speech resume prosecutions. Diana Jung Kim, right, and Homer Carroll, both from Houston, hug during a protest outside the U.S.
in Nevada and asserted “We can work on a plan Border Patrol Central Processing Center Monday, June 25, 2018, in McAllen, Texas.
that many children were where adults who bring Associated Press
brought to the border by kids across, who violate our hotel-casino, the attorney defender’s office in El Paso migrants. The officials iden-
violent gang members. laws, who risk their lives at general said more than 80 that federal prosecutors tified the bases as Fort Bliss
Together, their remarks the border could be prose- percent of children cross- would no longer bring crim- and Goodfellow Air Force
added to the nationwide cuted without an extended ing the border arrive alone, inal charges against par- Base. They spoke on condi-
confusion as mothers and separation from their chil- without parents or guard- ents entering the U.S. if they tion of anonymity because
fathers struggled to reunite dren,” he said. “We’re look- ians, and are “often sent have their child with them. they were not authorized to
families that were split up ing at how to implement with a paid smuggler. We Amid the confusion, some speak on the record about
by the government and that now.” can only guess how many Democratic members of a pending announcement.
sometimes sent to different White House press secre- never make it to our border Congress reiterated their As many as 2,300 children
parts of the country. tary Sarah Huckabee Sand- during that dangerous jour- frustrations that the Trump were separated from their
Families are growing in- ers stressed that the admin- ney.” He said five children administration had not re- migrant parents from the
creasingly frustrated in try- istration’s reversal was only had been found at the bor- leased its plan for reunifying time the administration ad-
ing to reunite with their chil- temporary because the der carrying a combined families. opted the zero-tolerance
dren after weeks apart. government is running out 35 pounds of fentanyl, the Sen. Richard Blumenthal of policy until June 9, officials
A mother from Guatemala of resources. powerful synthetic opioid Connecticut was among have said.
wiped tears from her eyes “We’re going to run out of drug blamed for an epi- those who toured a shelter The temporary shelter at
Monday as she told report- space,” she said. “We’re demic of overdose deaths at the Tornillo border cross- Tornillo was close to its
ers in El Paso, Texas, about going to run out of resourc- nationwide. Just outside ing in West Texas. 360-person capacity. Re-
her 4-year-old son being es to keep people togeth- the building where Sessions “I think there is very, very porters were allowed Mon-
taken away after they er.” Providing a glimpse of spoke, more than 200 pro- powerful consensus on day to briefly visit the shel-
crossed the border. relief, McAleenan said bor- testers opposed to the ad- both sides of the aisle that ter, where more than 320
The boy ended up at a der apprehensions in June ministration’s immigration reunification should be children ages 13 to 17 are
shelter in New York. When were trending “lower” from policies blocked a busy done immediately,” Blu- being held in air condi-
the mother contacted a previous months but he de- road. The coalition of civil menthal said. “These sto- tioned tents. A facility ad-
social worker to speak with clined to be more specific rights, religious and union ries are gut-wrenching and ministrator told reporters
her son, she was told that until numbers are released activists carried signs and heartbreaking of children that the main complaint
the child was angry and July 8. drums and were joined by 6 and 7 years old, separat- he hears from children on
didn’t want to talk because Speaking at a school-safe- a mariachi band. Some ed from their parents, not site is that the tents get too
he believed his mother had ty conference in Reno, Ses- sat in a busy roadway for know where they are and cold sometimes.
abandoned him. sions cast the children as while police diverted traffic the parents not knowing About half were from Gua-
The mother was one of five victims of a broken immi- around them. where their children are.” temala, and 23 of the chil-
parents who described gration system and urged No arrests were reported. U.S. defense officials said dren had been separated
their ordeals to reporters Congress to act. McAleenan’s remarks fol- the administration had from adults who accom-
in El Paso. Speaking Span- While hundreds of pro- low an announcement last chosen two military bases panied them across the
ish and all wearing ankle testers rallied outside a week by the federal public in Texas to house detained border.q