The Trump administration announced a zero-tolerance policy of criminally prosecuting every immigrant, including asylum seekers, who illegally crosses the U.S.-Mexico border in early April.
A consequence of blanket prosecution is that children are separated from their parents, who are taken into federal custody. The policy has sparked widespread bipartisan furor, finger-pointing and even warring Bible references.
The administration contends that it is forced to separate families because there is a law requiring it to do so, and that Democrats are to blame. In reality, mandatory family separation is a consequence of a policy decision that can be changed at any time.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted Sunday that, “We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period.” Is that true?
Technically, there is no policy stating that “all children must be separated from their parents upon illegally crossing the border.”
Family separation is, however, a direct consequence of the administration’s decision to criminally prosecute every person who crosses the border illegally.
