A Democratic U.S. senator is warning that the Trump administration is planning to remove over 500 unaccompanied migrant children from the country, bypassing legal protections. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote in a letter to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that he had “credible information” that the Trump administration had a list of more than 500 migrant children it was targeting for a fast-track removal process.
Background
The children, who are from various countries including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Afghanistan, have been in U.S. custody for at least 180 days. Wyden said they were described as not having any “viable sponsor” who could come forward and take care of them in the U.S.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 is one of the key pieces of legislation designed to protect these children. With some limited exceptions, it requires that children be placed in the “least restrictive setting possible,” which generally means that they can be released to a sponsor such as a relative in the U.S. while their immigration proceedings play out.
However, the Trump administration has made it increasingly difficult for these children to be released to sponsors. The administration says that they are doing due diligence to make sure that sponsors are thoroughly vetted and that in the past, children were released into dangerous situations.
Wyden warned that the administration was abdicating “core humanitarian and child welfare mandates” and demanded an immediate halt to any plans to remove the children. An HHS spokesperson denied any such plans, calling Wyden’s claims “irresponsible fearmongering.”
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
