U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced
a new initiative to detain and prosecute parents who paid to smuggle their kids
across the border. The initiative has been condemned by numerous advocacy
groups for immigrant children including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Immigration agents have begun interrogating children who
cross the border unaccompanied to find out who their sponsors are and how to
find them. These kids are essentially being used as bait to locate and detain
their U.S.-based sponsors. More often than not, that sponsor is a parent or
other relative. In addition, ICE is visiting the homes of these unaccompanied
minors after they are released to start deportation proceedings against these
parents, or arresting these parents when they bring their children in to report
to ICE on scheduled visits.
In at least a dozen cases from New Jersey to Texas,
immigration agents have visited the homes of parents whose children crossed the
border illegally. According to The
Monitor, the agents asked to be let in, and when the parents consented or
left the home, they were detained.
ICE says the purpose of the new initiative is to disrupt the
human-trafficking networks that smuggle kids across the border. They hope this
will lessen some of the burden on our backlogged immigration system.
Of course, there are numerous moral and logistical flaws
with ICE’s state purpose. Nearly 90 percent of children who cross the border
unaccompanied are eventually put in the custody of a U.S.-based relative.
So, what’s going to happen to those kids when their parents
are detained by ICE? Most are expected to stay in government custody—at taxpayers’
expense. Some could end up in foster homes.
From being detained by immigration agents to being interrogated
to being stripped away from their families, these children are sure to endure
immense emotional trauma. Immigration
Impact described our immigration system as “dramatically outdated” and
opined that it undervalues family unity.
If you or a loved one is facing an immigration crisis,
contact Kuck
Immigration Partners. Charles Kuck has filed and won hundreds of asylum
cases over the last 28 years. He will investigate every element of your case to
identify your best option for becoming a lawful permanent resident. Call
404-816-8611 to schedule a consultation with an immigration attorney in
Atlanta.
President Trump and
ICE Director Tom Homan Support the New Initiative
The Obama administration’s deportation policies focused mostly
on recent arrivals and immigrants with criminal convictions. But the Trump
administration announced in February that it will also target parents who sponsor
their children’s illegal entry into the United States, and that deportation
protections for unaccompanied minors would be repealed.
The initiative has been criticized for causing fear in the
immigrant community and separating families. ICE Director Tom Homan responded
by saying that people who enter the country illegally shouldn’t feel
comfortable, and about the separation of families, parents put themselves in
that situation when they cross the border illegally.
If you are worried about being deported from the United
States or if you have questions related to immigration, contact Kuck
Immigration Partners. Charles Kuck is a green card lawyer in Atlanta who can help
you identify any available options to remain in the United States. Schedule a
consultation today by calling 404-816-8611.
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