It Could Take Two Years For Government To Identify All Migrant Children Separated From Families
A federal judge had asked for a plan to identify these children and their families after a report from government inspectors in January revealed that the Trump administration most likely separated thousands more children from their parents than previously reported. Advocates take issue with the timetable, saying that if the children were a priority it would take months not years for the reunification process.
Reuters:
U.S. Government Says It Could Take Two Years To Identify Families Separated At Border
It could take the U.S. government up to two years to identify potentially thousands of additional children separated from their parents by the authorities at the southern border, the government said in a court filing. The filing late on Friday outlined for the first time the Trump administration's plan for identifying which family members might have been separated by assessing thousands of records using a combination of data analysis, statistical science, and manual review. (Cooke and Torbati, 4/6)
The New York Times:
U.S. Says It Could Take 2 Years To Identify Up To Thousands Of Separated Immigrant Families
These families were separated before the administration unveiled its “zero-tolerance” immigration policy in the spring of 2018, when nearly all adults entering the country illegally were prosecuted and any children accompanying them were put into shelters or foster care. To identify these families, the government said it would apply a statistical analysis to about 47,000 children who were referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and subsequently discharged, according to the court filing. From there, the government said it would manually review the case records of the children who appeared to have the highest probability of being part of the separated families. (Jacobs, 4/6)
In other immigration news —
The Hill:
Man With Flu Symptoms Dies In Immigration Detention Center, ICE Says
A Mexican man who was exhibiting flu-like symptoms died in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center this week, immigration officials said Friday. Abel Reyes-Clemente, 54, died at the Florence Service Processing Center in Arizona two days after he was treated for flu symptoms, officials said in a news release. (Frazin, 4/6)
The Hill:
Dem Reps Say They Were Denied Access To Immigrant Detention Center
Florida Democratic Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell said they were denied access to a facility holding unaccompanied immigrant children. The members of Congress said in a joint statement from their offices that they were told they would be "denied entry to the refugee resettlement facility in Homestead, [Fla.]," which they planned to visit Monday, "despite a new law mandating Congressional access there, and a recent announcement of plans to massively expand beds at the site amid lingering concerns over inadequate staffing, space and other services there." (Frazin, 4/6)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
CDC Awards Georgia State University Grant For Migrant Health Research
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded Georgia State University a $3.75 million grant to address the health and health disparities affecting America’s refugee and migrant communities. The grant falls under the agency’s Prevention Research Center funding cycle, which announced public health prevention research funding for 25 academic institutions across the country. (Pirani, 4/5)
