Trump policies increased family separation

The constant effort to reduce immigration led the current administration of the US to implement policies that have received countless criticism due to repercussions they generated, which affected the most vulnerable immigrant communities and immigrant families who needed international protection while trying to flee persecution, violence and war.

For instance, Trump’s “zero tolerance policy” sparked a gigantic controversy in the US. Dozens of immigrant rights advocates and activist groups state that this policy violates human rights of immigrant families, creates a humanitarian and immigration crisis and put the integrity of immigrant minors at risk.

To better understand the issue at hand, it is important to explain that the zero tolerance policy states that adult immigrants who are apprehended trying to cross the US’ borders without documentation are violating local law and, therefore, should face criminal prosecution, regardless of whether they need to apply for protection through humanitarian programs or whether they tried to cross the borders to save their lives.

However, under local law, minors cannot be detained by border forces or face legal charges. Thus, the zero tolerance policy led to the separation of hundreds of immigrant families in less than two years.

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Hundreds of minors cannot find their relatives

Trump’s zero tolerance policy was officially implemented in 2018 and did not last long thanks to the intervention of critics and activists, who raised their voices on behalf of families separated at the borders.

However, the Trump administration conducted a pilot program in 2017, without notifying the public, to test the zero tolerance policy’s effectiveness before making it official.

During this pilot program, more than a thousand children were separated from their relatives, and 129 were under 5 years of age. In fact, in one of our most recent articles, we talk about official figures that reveal that 666 immigrant children separated from their relatives during the pilot program have not been able to find them after more than three years.

There are several humanitarian organizations trying to find their relatives, but many of them were possibly deported under the Trump administration. Adding to that, the health crisis caused by the global Coronavirus pandemic worsens the situation and it is more difficult to find their parents.

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Activists hope incoming administration reunites separated families

According to a recent report, several humanitarian organizations, activist groups and dozens of immigrant rights advocates hope that the Biden administration will act efficiently and effectively to reunite immigrant families separated under Trump’s zero tolerance policy.

They state that the integrity and psychological development of minors is at risk and acting quickly is essential to be able to reunite them with their relatives as soon as possible. Adding to that, they state that the least the US government can do is offer them immigration benefits and international protection after what they went through under Trump’s restrictive policies.

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