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Thousands more children were separated from their parents at the border than was previously known, inspector general says https://read.bi/2Mh2cRv Getty Images/John Moore
Thousands more children were separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border than was previously known — but it's unclear precisely how many, the Department of Health and Human Services' office of the inspector general announced Thursday. The family separations sparked by the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" border policy last spring was previously pegged at 2,737 children. In June, a federal judge ordered the administration to halt the separations and reunite the families that had been identified. But according to the HHS' office of the inspector general, family separations were occurring long before the June court order, and continued long after it. "How many more children were separated is unknown by us and HHS, given the significant challenges HHS faced in identifying separated children," Ann Maxwell, the assistant Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspections, told reporters on a conference call Thursday. Maxwell said it wasn't clear why so many children had been separated before the "zero tolerance" policy was implemented in April 2018. But she said her office has speculated that other Justice Department policies — including an April 2017 memorandum prioritizing immigration prosecutions — may have sparked the uptick. Associated Press/Brynn Anderson The proportion of separated children in HHS custody went from 0.3% in late 2016, to 3.6% in the summer of 2017, according to Maxwell. Maxwell added that HHS estimates that the thousands of children who were separated before the June 2018 court order have already been released — but there is no effort underway to identify who those children were, or what happened to them. The Department of Homeland Security also indicated to HHS that such an effort to identify the children would be "extensive" and would "take resources away from children already in their care," Maxwell said. She added that a number of fates could have befallen those children. Some may have been released to a sponsor — usually a close relative or acquaintance — but some may have been deported, or simply "timed out" of HHS custody, meaning they turned 18 and could leave on their own volition. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. See Also:
Business via Business Insider https://read.bi/1IpULic January 17, 2019 at 10:27AM
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