The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shared the report on progress in reuniting separated migrant families.
Between July 2017 and January 2021, about 4 thousand migrant children were separated from their parents and families by the immigration policies of the past administration. A few days ago, the Interagency Task Force on Family Reunification, known as the Task Force, presented President Biden with the initial progress report on efforts to identify and reunite separated minors with their families.
"The Department of Homeland Security is committed to the relentless quest to reunify families that were cruelly separated by the previous administration," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, who is also part of the Task Force.
He announced that reunification plans are just beginning, as they plan to reunite more families in the coming months. “When we reunited the first seven families last month, I said this was just the beginning. In the coming weeks we will reunite 29 more families. In close coordination with non-governmental organizations, legal and inter-institutional partners, the Working Group will continue with this critical work”.
“Twenty-nine families that were separated under the previous Administration will be reunited in the coming weeks, in addition to the seven families previously reunited in May. We will provide support and services so that these families begin to rebuild their lives”, explained the executive director of the Task Force, Michelle Brané.
Currently, almost 50 applications have been filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Of which 37 have been reviewed and have been granted humanitarian parole.
