The Washington Post is reporting that the Trump administration will no longer be prosecuting parents who cross the border with children. “We’re suspending prosecutions of adults who are members of family units until ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) can accelerate resource capability to allow us to maintain custody,” an official told The Post.
The administration is returning to the Obama-era policy on border crossing families and suspending “zero tolerance.”
BREAKING: Trump administration will stop prosecuting migrant parents who cross the border illegally with children, official says https://t.co/Uwno8OljfM
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) June 21, 2018
So basically Trump administration is now doing catch-and-release as a formal (if temporary) policy for families at the border
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) June 21, 2018
The Washington Post report was immediately contradicted by the Department of Justice:
Just in: DOJ official responds “zero tolerance policy is still in effect,” casting doubt on this report of suspended prosecutions.
— Elana Schor (@eschor) June 21, 2018
On the record from DOJ director of public affairs Sarah Isgur Flores: pic.twitter.com/0y9YCJYx4x
— Elana Schor (@eschor) June 21, 2018
Given the contradiction between the two reports, it is clear that the Trump administration’s immigration policy remains chaotic and in flux.
If “zero tolerance” was suspended, it is only as a stop-gap measure. It does nothing to address the problem of family reunification for those already separated by the policy. Further, it is a temporary measure which could be reversed once the administration has more resources in place to enact a renewed “zero tolerance” push. But the larger story is that the White House has no real policy and different factions are making up rules willy-nilly.