Migrant family separations on the border have drawn national attention, as the Trump administration enforces a "zero tolerance" policy of charging parents in criminal court and placing their children in federally funded shelters.
A total of 1,995 children have been separated from 1,940 adult guardians who were prosecuted for entering the country illegally from April 19 to May 31, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Friday. The spokesman made the comment during a background telephone briefing with reporters. Officials from the Border Patrol and Department of Justice also participated.
A number of lawmakers from both parties, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., have said in recent days that they disagree with the policy of separating children from parents.
During Friday's briefing, officials said their policy was not family separation, but rather "100 percent prosecution."
"Either we choose to enforce the law, or we choose to ignore it, and this administration has made it clear we're not going to ignore the law any longer," a Homeland Security official said. In the past, parents were often released pending court appearances; the practice and other alternatives to detention meant immigrants were "incentivized to break the law," the official said.
