Trump signs order ending migrant family separations
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to end his administration’s policy of separating children from migrant families which cross into the US illegally.
“We’re going to have strong — very strong — borders, but we are going to keep the families together,” Trump said, moments before he signed the order on Wednesday. “I didn’t like the sight or the feeling of families being separated.”
Around 2,300 children were separated from their families since the policy went into effect in May. They were kept in separate facilities while their parents underwent legal process pending deportation.
Under the new executive order, the US will allow children to stay with their parents for the duration of the court proceedings. But kids already separated will not be immediately reunited with their families as the order does not cover existing cases.
The new order also holds no apparent implications for the 52 people from India who have been confined in a federal detention facility at Oregon, Washington state. Indian authorities have been in touch with their American counterparts, but are likely to find themselves constrained from going full-tilt on the issue unless the detainees seek their help.
“They are seeking asylum alleging persecution in India, and it would be absurd for the Indian government to help them establish that,” said a former Indian immigration official.
Trump had been under pressure from critics and allies alike over his administration’s controversial policy, with even his core voter base, such as evangelicals, calling for him to end it. Even first lady Melania and his daughter Ivanka were critical of the decision.
Trump had, for most part, struck a defiant note as he tried to use the plight of the children to force Congress to pass a broader law enhancing border security, curbing family-based immigration.
In the end, the images proved too powerful to overcome.
WASHINGTON: