Joe acts to reunite migrant families

The Biden administration will allow migrant families separated at the border by ex-President Donald Trump to reunite in the U.S. — and maybe even stay here for good.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Monday that parents deported under Trump’s controversial policy will be allowed to come to the U.S. to reunite with their children.

“We are hoping to reunite the families, either here or in their country of origin. And if, in fact, they seek to reunite here in the United States, we will explore lawful pathways for them to remain in the United States,” Mayorkas said.

The move puts meat on the bones of President Biden’s decision to reverse the Trump policy, which was widely criticized as cruel and punitive.

About 2,800 families were separated at the border during Trump’s rule.

About 550 remained apart even after Trump reversed the policy and officials said they would seek to locate the families.

The Biden administration says it has tracked down 105 families, most of whom did not want their children returned to their home countries.

The move is a victory for lawyers who sued the government on behalf of the separated families.

They argue that if parents were not allowed to come back to the United States, they would have been forced to choose between bringing their children back to dangerous conditions in their home counties or remaining separated indefinitely.

Other benefits and protections the task force will give the separated families include transportation, health care and mental health services as well as legal, career and educational services, with no costs being passed down to families.