US proposes separating women and children who cross the border illegally

The US Department of Homeland Security is considering a proposal to separate women and children who illegally cross the border together.

US security forces review birth certificates of children in Texas. Photo: AFP

Three Trump administration officials said the proposal to separate women and children, under consideration by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), would prevent migrant mothers from coming to the United States with their children, Reuters reported today.

The policy change allows the government to continue to detain parents while they consider deportation or wait for asylum applications. Children will be placed in “minimal restraint” custody with the Department of Health and Human Services until they are placed in the care of relatives in the U.S. or placed in state custody.

Currently, families who fight deportation or are seeking asylum are often released quickly after being detained and allowed to stay in the U.S. until their cases are resolved. A federal court ruling also prohibits the prolonged detention of children.

President Trump called for an end to "catch and release," in which illegal immigrants who enter the US are released while they await legal proceedings.

A DHS official said the agency is reviewing the proposal but has not made a decision. DHS and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The proposal has met with some opposition. Senator Henry Cuellar, who represents Texas, which shares a 200-mile border with Mexico, said the proposal was wrong and a “human rights violation.”

About 54,000 children and their guardians were arrested between October 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017, double the number from the previous period. Republicans in Congress say mothers are reluctant to take their children on the risky journey because they believe that if they are arrested, they will be quickly released and not have to go to trial for several years.

According to VNE