Some history:
The Obama administration saw families illegally crossing the border shoot up from 15,056 in 2013 to 68,684 in 2014 — an increase of 356 percent.
In response, the Obama administration detained families as a deterrent. The move appears to have worked as the numbers dipped in 2015 to 40,053 — still noticeably higher than historic levels.
[Some older history:
In 1997 as a result of a class action lawsuit on behalf of immigrant children who had been detained by the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) challenging procedures regarding the detention, treatment, and release of children, the Flores Settlement Agreement became law.
[i]n.b.[/i] This agrrement only addressed unaccompanied illegal-immigrant children - NOT FAMILIES.
The Flores Settlement Agreement (Flores) imposed several obligations on the immigration authorities, which fall into three broad categories:
1.The government is required to release children from immigration detention without unnecessary delay to, in order of preference, parents, other adult relatives, or licensed programs willing to accept custody.
2.If a suitable placement is not immediately available, the government is obligated to place children in the “least restrictive” setting appropriate to their age and any special needs.
3. The government must implement standards relating to the care and treatment of children in immigration detention.
On July 6, 2016 the Ninth Circuit held that the Flores settlement agreement applies both to minors who are accompanied and unaccompanied by their parents, and that the lower court correctly refused to amend the agreement to accommodate family detention. ]
Back to the story:
The 9th Circuit’s ruling in 2016 meant the government would now have to separate families if it held parents who crossed the border illegally. The Obama administration’s response was instead to release families with children. The policy resulted in virtual open borders for illegal immigrants with children. The decision caused family units crossing the border to skyrocket to a high of 77,857 in 2016. Family unit apprehensions stayed at historically high levels in 2017 with 75,802 families detained — an appalling 403 percent increase from levels in 2013.
President Trump, as well as poor old DonDiego, opposes an open southern border. Democrats not so much. The President is doing his best to prevent illegal immigration. Perhaps legislation that is part of a broader immigration bill could allow families to remain in holding while their asylum claims are being processed.
But the Democrats are uninterested in addressing the problem. Instead the Democrats cite Christianity to attack their opponents and make comparisons to Nazi Death Camps and the Holocaust. [One can tell the Democrats are up to no good when they cite Christianity.]
Ref: Illegal Immigrant Family Separation
