The US proposes separating women and children who cross the border illegally.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering a proposal to separate women and children who cross the border illegally into the country.

US security forces examine children's birth certificates in Texas. Photo: AFP

Three officials in President Donald Trump's administration said the proposal to separate women and children, currently under consideration by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), aims to prevent immigrant mothers from coming to the U.S. with their children, Reuters reported today.

This policy change allows the government to continue detaining parents while considering deportation or awaiting asylum applications. Children will be cared for with "minimal restrictions" by the Department of Health and Human Services until they are placed in the care of relatives in the U.S. or under state sponsorship.

Currently, families who oppose deportation or are applying for asylum are often released quickly after detention and allowed to remain in the U.S. until their case is resolved. A federal court ruling even prohibits extending the detention of children.

President Trump called for an end to the "catch and release" system, in which undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. are released while awaiting legal proceedings.

A DHS official said the agency is reviewing the proposal but has not yet made a decision. Neither DHS nor the White House have commented.

The proposal met with some opposition. Senator Henry Cuellar, representing Texas, which shares a 320-kilometer border with Mexico, declared the proposal to be wrong and a "violation of human rights."

Approximately 54,000 children and their guardians were abducted between October 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017, double the number from the previous period. Republicans in the U.S. Congress argue that mothers are willing to take their children along on these perilous journeys because they believe that if abducted, they will be quickly released and only face trial a few years later.

According to VNE