Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that as of Thursday (July 14), it updated its policy of procedures and requirements to avoid the separation of families, especially minors and disabled adults, in immigration processes carried out at the borders.
The new guidelines for ICE agents aim to prevent the widely criticized family separations that separated at least 5,000 migrant children from their parents following a policy established by the previous administration of former President Donald Trump in 2017. The new measure seeks to have officers investigate and trace the relationship between migrants and the minors they bring across the border.
ICE said the review of protocols is part of the government's immigration policy that seeks to establish a system it calls "fairer, more orderly and humane".
ICE Acting Director Tae D. Johnson said in a statement that in the performance of their duties, officers and agents “will preserve to the greatest extent possible the family unity and parental rights of non-citizen parents and legal guardians.”.
In this regard, through a directive published by the agency, some of the instructions were made known, including:
*Allows previously deported parents or guardians to return to the United States temporarily for child custody hearings.
*Requires that procedures be in place to identify individuals who are parents or legal guardians of minor or incapacitated children, including asking affirmatively about such status when a non-citizen is encountered.
To accomplish this, ICE will also develop training programs to ensure its staff are informed about protecting the parental or guardianship rights of undocumented parents.
Finally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that the policy will take effect immediately and that full implementation will be rolled out over the coming months.
The agency added that, while the old policy “applied to parents and legal guardians of minor children, the new rule also applies to parents and legal guardians of incapacitated adults regardless of the dependent’s citizenship or immigration status.”.
News report based on information from: EFE and Univision.
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