Thread: New Trump admin order for separated parents: Leave U.S. with kids or without them

New Trump admin order for separated parents: Leave U.S. with kids or without them

Rights advocates say the new directive prevents migrant parents who were separated from their kids under zero tolerance from asking for asylum in the U.S.

by Julia Ainsley and Jacob Soboroff / Jul.03.2018 / 1:36 PM ET / Updated 1:39 PM ET

WASHINGTON — Following a court order to reunite more than 2,000 migrant children who were separated from their parents in May and June, the Trump administration has instructed immigration agents to give those parents two options: leave the country with your kids — or leave the country without them, according to a copy of a government form obtained by NBC News.

The new directive does not allow parents who were separated from their children under President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy to reunite with their children while they await a decision on asylum, a protection sought by thousands of migrant families fleeing violence in Central America.

Under zero tolerance, immigration agents had been instructed to separate all children from parents caught crossing illegally. Trump reversed that decision with a June 20 executive order, but didn't provide a clear path toward reunification for more than 2,300 children who had already been separated.

Parents and children who entered the U.S. after June 20 are being kept together in detention.

Asylum law dictates that immigrants should be allowed to make an asylum claim before a judge even if they have been given an order of deportation. Immigration rights advocates say forcing parents to choose immediately between leaving the country with or without their children means they are effectively prevented from asking for asylum.

"A child should never be held hostage to force a parent to relinquish their legal right to seek asylum," said Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).

In a June 26 court decision, federal Judge Dana Sabraw of the Southern District of California ruled that the government must reunify the separated parents from their children, but made no stipulation that parents must be allowed to remain in the U.S. with their children while they wait for a judge to hear their asylum claim — a process that can take years.

The form U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are directed to read to detained parents instructs them to sign next to one of two lines: "I am requesting to reunite with my child(ren) for the purpose of repatriation to my country of citizenship," or "I am affirmatively, knowingly, and voluntarily requesting to return to my country of citizenship without my minor child(ren) who I understand will remain in the United States to pursue available claims of relief."

The agents are instructed to read the form in a language the immigrant understands, which usually means Spanish, but it can be hard to find Americans who know the indigenous languages spoken by many migrants.

Similar instructions were given to child welfare workers in U.S. Health and Human Services shelters before Trump ended family separations. The workers were instructed to reunite parents and children only if the parents agreed to drop their own asylum claims as well as the claim of their child and be deported.

Families who arrived in the U.S. after Trump ended parent-child separations are being detained in family detention centers while waiting for a decision on asylum or deportation. The Justice Department has petitioned in a separate court case that the government should be allowed to hold children with their parents indefinitely.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...s-kids-n888631

Ship the kids out immediately. Return them immediately to possession of their home government through the nearest Consulate (at their expense, not ours). You tell these countries if they don't cooperate, no aid, no trade.

Ship out the parents and the kids.

Send them ALL to their President and let HIM reunite them all!!!

Get the buses loaded up and get them OUT!


I AM SICK AND TIRED OF HOUSING, FOOD, MEDICAL CARE, LAWYERS, JUDGES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS!

I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THEIR SOB STORIES!

WE HAVE AMERICAN'S WITH THE SAME "FEARS"! POVERTY, SPOUSAL ABUSE, GANGS, MURDER, RAPE, VIOLENCE, HOMELESS, DROUGHT, VOLCANOES, FLOODS, MUDSLIDES, TORNADOES, FIRES, HURRICANES! HOMES LOST, JOBS LOST!

YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL...NOW GET OUT AND DO NOT COME HERE!

NO ASYLUM! SEND THEM BACK SO THEY STOP COMING HERE! PROCESS AND DEPORT WITHIN 48 HOURS!

DEFUND THE REFUGEE, ASYLUM AND TPS PROGRAMS AND GET THEM OUT!

CUT OFF ALL IRS TAX REFUNDS, MEDICAL, WELFARE AND FOOD STAMPS!

NO FREE TAXPAYER FUNDED LAWYERS FOR NON-CITIZENS!

They should have done that at the border. Once they're in detention it's different. The children should be marched right over to a Consulate with a note that says "I'm a citizen of your country, that makes me your problem, now solve it."

Their home countries can waste their time and money sorting out who belongs to whom. The parents already in detention need fast-tracked out of here, 24 to 48 hours.