HHS, Homeland Security Were Taken By Surprise When ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy Was Implemented, Report Finds
The lack of advance notice left the agencies scrambling to deal with the increase in detained children, according to a new GAO report. The findings also note that the absence of a central database for the migrants was a key factor in complicating and slowing the reunification of families.
The Wall Street Journal:
DHS, HHS Weren’t Notified Of Migrant Family Separation Policy In Advance, Report Finds
Officials at the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services weren’t given advance notice of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, leaving them struggling to accommodate children separated from their parents, according to a new government report. (Duehren, 10/24)
The Hill:
Agencies Were Surprised At Trump 'Zero Tolerance' Border Policy, Report Finds
Officials from DHS and HHS told investigators they were unaware of the memo before it was released, and did not take specific steps in advance of the memo to plan for the separation of parents and children or potential increase in the number of children who would be referred to HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement. The “zero tolerance” policy called for the criminal prosecution of all adult migrants who were detained after trying to cross the country’s southern border. Any children brought across the border were separated from their parents, deemed to be “unaccompanied,” and detained by HHS in separate facilities sometimes hundreds of miles from their parents. (Weixel, 10/24)
Meanwhile, in other news —
The Washington Post:
Shelter Provider For Immigrant Kids Surrenders 2 Licenses
The nation’s largest provider of shelters for immigrant children has surrendered two of its licenses in Arizona following a state investigation that found the organization didn’t have fingerprint records for some employees. (Galvan, 10/24)
