Biden Task Force Reunifies Handful of Families Separated at US Border

A handful of migrant families that were separated at the border by the Trump administration will be allowed to reunify in the United States this week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Monday.

The four families will be the first to be reunified through a task force that was created by President Biden shortly after taking office in January.

The decision to allow migrant parents into the U.S. to reunify with their children here marks a sharp break with the Trump administration, which resisted allowing parents who were previously deported to return.

“Our team is dedicated to finding every family and giving them an opportunity to reunite and heal,” Mayorkas told reporters Sunday. He did not explain how DHS selected the first four families.

The families came from Honduras and Mexico, and some had been separated as far back as 2017 — months before the Trump administration formally announced its “zero tolerance” policy that led to the separation of thousands of families.

“They are children who were 3 years old at the time of separation. They are teenagers who have had to live without their parents during their most formative years,” Mayorkas said. “They are mothers who fled extremely dangerous situations in their home countries, who remained in dangerous environments in Mexico, holding out hope to reunite with their children.”

Immigrant advocates welcomed the announcement but expressed frustration at the slow pace of reunification.

“We are thrilled for the four families that are going to be reunited this week, but we are not feeling like this is a time for celebration,” said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, who fought the Trump administration over family separation in court. “Having been doing this for four years, we know how much work is left to be done. We assume and I hope the Biden administration recognizes that as well.”