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The Trump administration has
reached a settlement over the separation of migrant children and
their parents at the US border, allowing some individuals to
apply for asylum in the United States, according to court
documents.
Under the plan, filed late Wednesday, the administration
said that while it did not plan to return any parents who have
already been deported, the government would consider individual
cases where that may be warranted.
The agreement, which must be approved by the federal judge
in the case, stems from US President Donald Trump’s
“zero-tolerance” immigration policy earlier this year that left
thousands of children in detention facilities and separated from
their parents, sparking widespread condemnation.
If approved, the settlement would mark a significant step in
resolving the lawsuit brought by American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) on behalf of separated families.
In early May Trump had sought to prosecute all adults
crossing the border without authorization, including those
traveling with children, but ended the family separations the
next month.
The administration has said more than 2,300 migrant children
were separated from their parents.
On Wednesday, the New York
Times reported that the overall number of detained migrant
children reached a total of 12,800 this month, citing data
obtained from members of Congress.
Most of those children
crossed the border alone, without their parents, the newspaper
reported.
It was not immediately clear how many asylum seekers the
agreement would affect.
Migrants who choose not to agree to the settlement would be
“promptly removed to their country of origin,” according to the
agreement put before US District Judge Dana Sabraw in San
Diego.
The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of a mother and her
6-year-old daughter, who had fled the Democratic Republic of
Congo over religious persecution and were separated after
entering the United States to seek asylum.
The case is Ms. L et al v US Immigration and Customs
Enforcement et al, US District Court, Southern District of
California, No. 18-00428.
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