ACLU cannot find parents of immigrant minors

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization that watches over human rights of the most vulnerable communities, stated on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 that it has not been able to find relatives of immigrant minors separated from their families at the borders between 2017 and 2018.

ACLU’s lawyers and other organizations such as Families Belong Together have tried to reunite families separated by the Trump administration’s immigration policies during the las couple of years.

However, they have not been able to locate the relatives of 545 immigrant minors. It is estimated that at least two-thirds of the parents were deported without their children and there is no trace of them, although the organizations continue with the task of reuniting immigrant families.

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Background

In 2018, the Trump administration implemented the so-called “zero tolerance policy”, which states that immigrants who attempt to cross the borders of the US without legal documentation or prior authorization will be subject to criminal prosecution for violating local law.

However, minors cannot be detained by federal entities and must be transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Therefore, thousands of families have been separated at the borders under this policy and federal agencies have not been able to keep track of all the families.

Other than that, the Trump administration conducted a pilot program in 2017 before making this policy official.

During this secret pilot program, border forces separated 1,030 minors from their relatives. Only 485 minors have been reunited with their families, while 545 minors have still not been able to find their relatives after all these years.

One of the members of Families Belong Together stated: “The Trump administration ripped 545 children away from their parents, lied about it, then lost track of them as they departed them into danger. That’s par for the course for a sadistic immigration system.”

On the other hand, the deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project assured that they will continue the search until they find missing parents and stated that “The tragic reality is that hundreds of parents were deported to Central America without their children, who remain here with foster families or distant relatives.”

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Avoid illegal immigration and protect your future

The Trump administration’s stance when it comes to illegal immigration is quite strict. As a result, undocumented immigrants face risky situations when trying to cross borders unlawfully. Adding to that, the current administration has substantially reduced benefits and opportunities available to them.

Therefore, instead of risking your future and possibly facing deportation proceedings, it is best to follow legal guidelines with the help of experienced immigration attorneys.

In this way, you protect your family and you can build a promising future in the US, avoiding precarious situations for your beloved ones.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.