Biden administration considers reopening detention of migrant families



CNN

The Biden administration is considering restoring a policy to detain families of migrants who cross the border illegally. President Joe Biden ended when he took office, two administration officials said.

It’s one of several options that administration officials are considering as they prepare to repeal Section 42, a public health order that allows border officials to immediately turn down some migrants who illegally crossed the southern border.

In recent days, White House and Homeland Security officials have held several meetings to discuss the possibility of resurrecting the practice ahead of Section 42’s expected expiration in May, and migrant border crossings remain high.

The White House declined to comment.

“No decisions have been made as we prepare to lift the Section 42 public health order,” a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN. “The Administration will continue to prioritize the safe, orderly and humane processing of migrants.”

One official said the administration is considering several options for how to deal with migrant families at the southern border, and not all of them involve detention.

Another source familiar with the discussions added that among the options discussed are those that do not involve keeping families in ICE isolation. The source said that family detentions would be limited to a small number of days, an attempt to separate this policy from the Trump administration’s family detention policy.

New York Times was the first to report a possible policy change.

Biden increasingly turned to tighter border controls in recent months, drawing criticism from immigrant rights advocates and progressive Democrats who see the changes as a return to some of President Donald Trump’s policies.

Administration released new rule last month, which largely bars migrants who have traveled through other countries on their way to the US-Mexico border from applying for asylum in the United States, marking a departure from decades of protocol.

This story has been supplemented by an additional report.