It is official Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy to preserve “the unity of families during repatriation… taking into consideration administrative parameters.”
Grijalva released a statement on Monday’s hearing explaining that “border policy experts and human rights leaders will discuss new evidence that current deportation practices, plagued by inadequate accountability and oversight, continue to undermine DHS’s commitment to preserve family unity. Witnesses will describe the reality of life at the border and call on DHS to stop breaking families apart.”
According to Grijalva, “Research indicates that immigration enforcement programs intended to discourage immigrants from entering the U.S. have contributed to needless and widespread family separation, often driving further irregular migration and threatening the safety of recently deported women, men and children.”