The “zero-tolerance” policy has forced many migrant family separations since it was established. Lawyers are now working to reunite those migrant families. The current number of separated children have hit around 666, much higher than what a federal judge was told just a month ago.
What We Know:
- The great challenge now lies in the hands of lawyers who have been given the task to unite previously separated families. A judge last month was just told that the number of missing children was a little over 540. It’s been reported that almost 20 percent, or roughly 129 children, were under the age of 5 when they were separated from their parents.
- In an email to NBC News, Steven Herzog, the attorney leading the reunification process, made it clear that the high number of missing children has been attributed to a lack of contact by the government who “did not provide any phone number”. This was the same reason lawyers have been stuck the past month as any attempts to make contact failed.
“We would appreciate the government providing any available updated contact information, or other information that may be helpful in establishing contact for all 666 of these parents,” Herzog continued in the email.
- Deputy Director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, Lee Gelernt, reaffirmed that the new number of 666 “includes individuals in addition to 545 for whom we got no information from the government that would allow meaningful searches but are hopeful the government will now provide with that information”.
- During April and June of 2018, the Trump administration established the “zero tolerance” policy along the U.S./Mexico border which allowed the separation of undocumented migrants and their children. It’s worthy to note that before this policy was officially pushed through, Trump’s administration tested it in a “pilot program” near El Paso.
- Although a solid percentage of the separated children happened during the “zero tolerance” policy, it’s been said that the majority of children of the grim 666 number were actually separated during the pilot program alone.
- As a part of his campaign promises, President-elect Joe Biden has committed to contrasting a specific government task force that would work to reunify migrant families affected by the previous administration’s policies.
That being said, nothing is set in stone. There have been no other updates on this matter on behalf of the president-elect, so it is undecided whether these separated parents will be allowed to return to the U.S, reunite with their children, and pursue claims to asylum.
