BY JOSEPH CHOI
The Biden administration has reportedly found that nearly 4,000 children were separated from their families after the Trump administration enacted its “zero tolerance” policy.
Citing sources familiar with the administration’s findings, ABC News reported that more than 3,900 children were separated from their families between July 2017 and January 2021. Around 400 other children were sent back to their home countries. Fewer than than 60 families are currently in the process of being reunited.
In April it was reported that a review by the Biden administration could reveal whether additional families were separated at the border due to the Trump administration's policies.
“We found the list we had when we came in was not comprehensive and included large time frames that had not been reviewed,” a Department of Homeland Security official said at the time.
This report is part of an initial review from the Biden administration’s Family Reunification Task Force, ABC reported. The group is being chaired by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The task force is offering families of children who are still in the U.S. on their own the option of coming to the U.S. to be reunified with their children.
According to ABC, 62 family members have been approved for entry into the U.S. so far. When asked why so few families are being reunited right now, a Homeland Security official told ABC that it was a "giant task" that required the coordination of multiple government agencies.
The official added that the largest obstacle was convincing the parents of the children "to trust the government again."
The Biden administration in May announced that the first families separated at the border would be reunited. At the time of the announcement, Mayorkas said these reunifications were "just the beginning."
"Today is just the beginning. We are reuniting the first group of families, many more will follow, and we recognize the importance of providing these families with the stability and resources they need to heal," Mayorkas said.
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