The commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Kevin K. McAleenan said on Monday that his agency has for the time being halted handing over migrant adults who cross the Mexican border with children to prosecutors, a clear contradiction to the administration’s claim that its “zero tolerance” policy has not changed.
McAleenan noted that his agency and the Justice Department must come to an agreement regarding a policy “where adults who bring their kids across the border — who violate our laws and risk their lives at the border — can be prosecuted without an extended separation from their children.”
He added that many families detained at the southern border will eventually be released due to insufficient detention space, with a promise to return for a court hearing. He also stressed that the agency will resume its policy of referring single illegal immigrants for prosecution and children who are in danger will be separated from adults, especially if the adult has a criminal record, The New York Times reports.
The commissioner’s decision will temporarily restore a “catch and release” approach, which President Donald Trump has often criticized arguing that it encourages criminals to come to the U.S. in waves.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy was still in place but acknowledged that the government does not have the ability to detain all of the families crossing the border illegally.
“We’re not changing the policy. We’re simply out of resources,” she said, blaming Democrats for not changing immigration laws in the first place so as to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the United States. “We’re working with Congress, hopefully, to provide more resources and the ability to actually enforce the law,” Sanders added.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, on the other hand, made a contradictory statement Monday, saying that the government will continue enforcing Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy.
“The President has made this clear: We are going to prosecute those adults who came here illegally,” Sessions insisted.
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