No less than 998 migrant children separated from their parents in the United States during Donald Trump’s presidency have not been reunited with them, according to figures announced Thursday by the government of his Democratic successor. Calling these forced separations a “national disgrace”, Joe Biden had set up from the start of his presidency a unit dedicated to identifying and locating the families of migrants separated under the mandate of Donald Trump.
“To date, the task force has identified 3,924 children separated” from their families between 2017 and 2021, of which 998 have still not been reunited with their parents, announced the Ministry of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, after two years of work. . Among them, 148 are “in the process” of joining them and “183 families have been informed of the possibility of being reunited”, added the ministry in a press release.
A deterrent for the Trump administration
“We are aware that this essential work is not finished,” assured the Minister of Homeland Security. “The task force continues to try to contact separated families, in order to offer them the possibility of reuniting in the United States,” added the minister.
The administration of Donald Trump, who had made the fight against illegal immigration a marker of his presidency, had raised in 2017 the idea of separating the families of migrants who entered the United States illegally as a means of deterrence.
Its so-called “Zero Tolerance” policy was officially launched in April 2018. It consisted of opening criminal proceedings against anyone who entered illegally at the border with Mexico. Consequence: the parents could be immediately placed in detention, without their children. The tragedies experienced by these families had caused an outcry even in the Republican ranks, so much so that Donald Trump had ordered in June 2018 to put an end to it, a judge imposing on his side the reunification of divided families.