The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
Escaping gruesome violence at the hands of police and gangs in Honduras, a mother and her daughter arrived in the US on June 8 near McAllen, Texas, and turned themselves in to federal agents. They were then separated and held in custody 1,555 miles apart, according to court filings.
The 12-year-old daughter is now among a couple thousand migrant children that the US is working to reunite with parents over the next two weeks following a federal judge’s order.
Once that happens, the parents will face a difficult choice: Throw the whole family at the mercy of the immigration system for a shot at staying legally — or immediately turn the children over to US authorities so at least they won’t be forced to leave even if the parents are deported.
The latter could mean that the Honduran mother, who is identified only as Jane Doe in the court record, may not see her daughter, A.M., for years.
Under an agreement, the US doesn’t allow long-term detention of immigrant minors. President Donald Trump tried unsuccessfully in recent weeks to change the rules while grappling with a public backlash over his “zero tolerance†crackdown on illegal border crossings.
The American Civil Liberties Union and US government attorneys disclosed an agreement that leaves it up to immigrant parents to decide whether their children will stay with them in detention or be placed with social service workers.
To meet a July 26 deadline to complete the reunification process, the government laid out a plan in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement will identify six to eight locations where as many as 200 kids a day will be reunited with parents.