According to a recent AP news report, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released a report finding that the U.S. government separated thousands of immigrant families at the border without a means of technology to document and track their locations for reunification in the future. The bulk of these separations occurred in the spring of 2018, although some occurred during an earlier pilot project in 2017. Best estimates place the number of children separated from their families during these periods at more than 5,400.
Despite the Trump Administration’s plan to separate families following the pilot program, which took place months in advance of most separations, it did nothing to remedy the lack of available technology. Instead, the three agencies involved attempted to use an unsecured email system to document the separations. The email system was insufficient to handle the high number of needed reunifications that the separations created. The OIG found that the federal government failed to even document up to 1,400 of the separated children in the email system, which made the reunification process lengthier and even impossible in some cases.
If the Trump Administration had continued with its family separation policy, which quickly ended amidst a public outcry, it aimed to separate 26,000 children from their families. As the email system that they used for about 3,000 was inadequate, then it obviously would have been insufficient to document 26,000 children.
In its report, the OIG made various recommendations to DHS to improve its tracking and monitoring systems, including better coordination between Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Whatever your situation may be, you will need skilled legal assistance to work toward a resolution of your immigration matter.
The Texas immigration attorneys of Peek Law Group know how to help you navigate through the maze of immigration forms, regulations, and policies, and get the relief that you need. Take the first step today and secure the future of your family in the U.S. Contact our office today and set up an evaluation with one of our highly skilled Texas immigration lawyers.