Trump backs down, orders end to family separations at U.S. border

By Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order on immigration policy in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump backed down and abandoned on Wednesday his policy of separating immigrant children from their families on the U.S.-Mexico border, after images of youngsters in cages sparked outrage at home and abroad.

 

Trump signed an executive order requiring that immigrant families be detained together when they are caught entering the country illegally for as long as their criminal proceedings take. That may violate a court settlement on how long children may be held, setting up a potential legal fight, unless Congress acts on the issue.

 

The Trump order, an unusual reversal by him, also moves parents with children to the front of the line for immigration proceedings. The order does not end a 10-week-old "zero tolerance" policy that calls for criminal prosecution of immigrants crossing the border illegally.

 

“It's about keeping families together while at the same time making sure that we have a very powerful, very strong border,” Trump said as he signed the order in a hastily arranged Oval Office gathering minutes before departing for a campaign event.

 

The videos of kids sitting in cages and an audiotape of wailing children had sparked anger in the United States from groups ranging from clergy to influential business leaders, as well as condemnation from abroad, including by Pope Francis.

 

Trump, an avid viewer of cable television news, recognised that the family separation issue was a growing political problem, White House sources said.

 

First Lady Melania Trump, in private conversations with the president, urged him to do something, a White House official said. In the Oval Office, Trump said he had heard from his daughter Ivanka about the policy, too.

 

"Ivanka feels very strongly. My wife feels very strongly about it. I feel very strongly about it. I think anybody with a heart would feel very strongly about it," Trump said.

 

Wednesday's move was the most significant policy reversal by Trump since he took office in January 2017. Instinctively combative and fond of chaos, Trump usually digs in on controversial policies, rather than backing down.

 

But the volume of condemnation on breaking up families, from inside and outside the White House, finally overwhelmed Trump.

 

NEW HEADACHES

The reversal also creates a series of new headaches for the administration, as it wrestles with where to house families that are detained together, possibly for long periods, and how to reunite families that already have been separated.

 

"This executive order would replace one crisis for another. Children don’t belong in jail at all, even with their parents, under any set of circumstances. If the president thinks placing families in jail indefinitely is what people have been asking for, he is grossly mistaken,” said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, in a statement.

 

Parents referred by border agents for prosecution are held in federal jails, while their children have remained in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody or have been moved into detention facilities managed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a Department of Health and Human Services agency.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Tuesday that 2,342 children had been separated from their parents at the border between May 5 and June 9.

 

The order directs the U.S. Justice Department to seek a modification of a court order to permit families that enter the United States illegally to be detained together until their criminal proceedings are concluded, a text of the order shows.

 

It also directs the Department of Defense to take steps to house detained immigrant families as needed.

 

Trump has made a tough stance on immigration central to his presidency. In recent days, he had insisted his hands were tied by law on the issue of family separations and blamed Democrats for the problem, even though his administration implemented the policy of strict adherence to immigration law.

 

BILLS IN CONGRESS

The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress is also considering legislation to address the issue. The House of Representatives planned to vote on Thursday on two bills designed to halt family separations and address a range of other immigration issues.

 

"We are working on a much more comprehensive bill," Trump said.

 

Republicans said they were uncertain if either House measure would have enough votes to pass. Trump told House Republicans on Tuesday night he would support either of the bills.

 

Both House bills, which Democrats and immigration advocacy groups have blasted, would fund Trump's proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as reduce legal migration, in part by denying visas for some relatives of U.S. residents and citizens living abroad, sometimes called "chain migration."

 

The more conservative bill from Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte also would deny the chance of future citizenship to "Dreamers," who are immigrants brought illegally into the United States years ago as children.

 

House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters that compromise legislation under discussion would provide funding to allow the Department of Homeland Security enough resources to house and care for families as they stayed together during the process.

 

"Under this bill, when people are being prosecuted for illegally crossing the border, families will remain together under DHS custody throughout the length of their legal proceedings," he said.

 

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Susan Cornwell, Amanda Becker and Mohammad Zargham in Washingtong; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Frances Kerry and James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-21

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

Under this bill, when people are being prosecuted for illegally crossing the border, families will remain together under DHS custody throughout the length of their legal proceedings," he said.

What a joke, he hasn't backed down, he has doubled down!  They are still going to 100% enforce the arre3st of the immigrants and arrest them.  They have3 no plans on how and where they are going to house the family's while they are waiting to appear in court and they, by law, cannot hols minors for more than 20 days.  I guess that the next pictures that we will see is the children shackled to their parents as they line up for their court appearances.  Also there is nothing in the order that addresses the 2300 minor already separated.  It's just a political ploy by Trump and his cohorts Steven Miller and John Kelly and another effort to deflect responsibility from Trump.  He can not and will not ever admit that he was wrong, it impossible for him to do!!!

So firstly this lying SOB (Presidentially used term) is outed for that last 3 days of blatant lies to the American people, stating he was powerless to do anything and blaming Democrats. Now he says the whole family will be detained together until legal proceedings are complete (which could be many months or even years). Court cases will start flying today putting a restraining order on the DOJ and DHS as you cannot detain a child beyond 20 days. The Kidnapper in Chief must be throwing mental tantrums in the hate House this evening (how spooky, my spellchecker threw in 'hate' instead of 'white' - must be divine intervention, I had better leave it!).

 

Trump, Kidnapper in Chief,  MAGA my ar_se. 

 

Mueller will jail this SOB and there will be no pardon by Pence or he will be jailed also.

 

Before any Trump supporter names me as a 'Trump Hater", I am immensely proud to state that  - yes, I belong to that particular cross-section of humanity that as of today will number in the billions across the world. It took Islam 2000 years to get a following of over a billion people, Trump has managed to get a group of people that out number that by at least two fold,  all sharing the same feeling in less than a year.

To be perfectly clear, these laws were passed by Clinton. No liberals objected to them. Obama did not care in 8 years to change them and instead passed them onto Trump. Trump had nothing to do but actually enforce the law.

 

Now Trump has actually tried to temporary stop them via executive order. But still he is the bad guy. Trump haters will always hate, no matter what great things Trump does for this country. So be it. Real Americans could care less about all the liberal haters.

 

Liberal meltdown is a disgrace to America and they won't be satisfied until the US becomes a socialist country.

 

Guess what....ain't NEVER going to happen.

3 minutes ago, jackh said:

Real Americans could care less about all the liberal haters.

And here - ladies and gentlemen - is the reason.

I refuse to believe that "Real" Americans believe in this way.

Far Right Wing, Redneck Wack Jobs, KKK, Nazi sympathizers - yes

11 minutes ago, jackh said:

To be perfectly clear, these laws were passed by Clinton. No liberals objected to them. Obama did not care in 8 years to change them and instead passed them onto Trump. Trump had nothing to do but actually enforce the law.

 

Now Trump has actually tried to temporary stop them via executive order. But still he is the bad guy. Trump haters will always hate, no matter what great things Trump does for this country. So be it. Real Americans could care less about all the liberal haters.

 

Liberal meltdown is a disgrace to America and they won't be satisfied until the US becomes a socialist country.

 

Guess what....ain't NEVER going to happen.

To be perfectly clear, there are plenty of laws on the statute book that if administered with deliberate intent to abuse people provide the ‘black and white’ legal reason to do so.

 

It was Trump who ordered these abuses it was a Republican majority in both houses that permitted him to do so.

 

It was the public outrage expressed by the majority of decent Americans that has forced Trump to make a partial U-turn.

 

There’s more to come.

 

 

What a buffoon.

 

"It's the Democrats fault."

 

"It's the law."

 

"My hands are tied."

 

"I can't do anything."

 

 

 

Trump thought he could use it to squeeze the Dems to make a deal for his Wall. Instead looks like the excrement splattered back on Humpty Dumpty.

 

Nothing to do, but blame it on Dems, Declare Victory and tweet a bunch a rambling incoherent BS.

Edited June 21, 20188 yr by LomSak27

2 hours ago, wayned said:

What a joke, he hasn't backed down, he has doubled down!  They are still going to 100% enforce the arre3st of the immigrants and arrest them.  They have3 no plans on how and where they are going to house the family's while they are waiting to appear in court and they, by law, cannot hols minors for more than 20 days.  I guess that the next pictures that we will see is the children shackled to their parents as they line up for their court appearances.  Also there is nothing in the order that addresses the 2300 minor already separated.  It's just a political ploy by Trump and his cohorts Steven Miller and John Kelly and another effort to deflect responsibility from Trump.  He can not and will not ever admit that he was wrong, it impossible for him to do!!!

What solution do you suggest to humanely reduce illegal immigration into the United States, including protecting these people from exploitation, human trafficking, rape and/or murder as they make the long dangerous and illegal journey from Central America?

10 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

To be perfectly clear, there are plenty of laws on the statute book that if administered with deliberate intent to abuse people provide the ‘black and white’ legal reason to do so.

 

It was Trump who ordered these abuses it was a Republican majority in both houses that permitted him to do so.

 

It was the public outrage expressed by the majority of decent Americans that has forced Trump to make a partial U-turn.

 

There’s more to come.

 

 

Exactly. Good reply to the stupid post of the day. 

37 minutes ago, jackh said:

To be perfectly clear, these laws were passed by Clinton. No liberals objected to them. Obama did not care in 8 years to change them and instead passed them onto Trump. Trump had nothing to do but actually enforce the law.

 

Now Trump has actually tried to temporary stop them via executive order. But still he is the bad guy. Trump haters will always hate, no matter what great things Trump does for this country. So be it. Real Americans could care less about all the liberal haters.

 

Liberal meltdown is a disgrace to America and they won't be satisfied until the US becomes a socialist country.

 

Guess what....ain't NEVER going to happen.

 

What do I need to say. Jared knows his Daddy.

5 minutes ago, Wanderer555 said:

What solution do you suggest to humanely reduce illegal immigration into the United States, including protecting these people from exploitation, human trafficking, rape and/or murder as they make the long dangerous and illegal journey from Central America?

Let’s start by not demonizing immigrants, remove the language of hatred and fear.

 

Then we can have a reasonable discussion.

 

While some on the right wing are stoking fear and hate no reasonable discussions can be had.

 

Trump’s partial U-turn is a direct result of decent Americans (the majority are decent) speaking out against Trump’s abuse.

 

When decent people speak and are listened to we get decent outcomes.

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

When decent people speak and are listened to we get decent outcomes.

 

Well, almost...

 

2016 Presidential Election
Candidate   Popular Votes
Donald J. Trump    62,980,160
Hillary R. Clinton    65,845,063
 

 

In the end, it seems like the images swayed Fat Nixon the most? They looked "bad".

 

Interesting that in his executive order signing he spoke repeatedly about "strength" and "weakness", and not "right" and "wrong".

 

He is truly a horrible human being. I feel so sorry for those millions who wasted their votes on this monster.

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Let’s start by not demonizing immigrants, remove the language of hatred and fear.

 

Then we can have a reasonable discussion.

 

While some on the right wing are stoking fear and hate no reasonable discussions can be had.

 

Trump’s partial U-turn is a direct result of decent Americans (the majority are decent) speaking out against Trump’s abuse.

 

When decent people speak and are listened to we get decent outcomes.

I agree that the rhetoric by some on right is not helpful, just as the speech and actions of some on the left are not helpful.  While we work towards improving communication between the two strongly opposed groups, what happens to the illegal immigration problem that is directly addressed in the article and which you refer to in your original post?
Which over 2,000 children separated from their parents at the border between May 5 and June 9, this is not a problem that is easily solved.... What is your solution?
 

37 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

Trump thought he could use it to squeeze the Dems to make a deal for his Wall. Instead looks like the excrement splattered back on Humpty Dumpty.

 

Nothing to do, but blame it on Dems, Declare Victory and tweet a bunch a rambling incoherent BS.

Trumpty Numpty.

The take away I hope most noticed is the lack of thought, planning, awareness of repercussions that is the hallmark of Trump administration. He has gotten rid of most of the sane competent advisors he may have had at one time, and cowed the rest into submission. Not that Trump takes advice anyway.... supreme narcissists main trait is they know far more on everything than anyone

'We Want No Part Of It': Airlines Say Flights Are Not For Separating Families

 

Earlier in the day, several major U.S. airlines had made their positions on the most controversial facet of Trump's "zero tolerance" policy abundantly clear: "We want no part of it."

 

That's how United CEO Oscar Munoz concluded his statement — one of several released Wednesday by major airlines asking the Department of Homeland Security to refrain from using their flights to transport migrant children.

American Airlines opened the volley in the morning, saying the company's mission does not align with the Trump administration's recent practices because "we bring families together, not apart."

 

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/20/621972748/we-want-no-part-of-it-airlines-say-flights-are-not-for-separating-families

1 hour ago, Wanderer555 said:

What solution do you suggest to humanely reduce illegal immigration into the United States, including protecting these people from exploitation, human trafficking, rape and/or murder as they make the long dangerous and illegal journey from Central America?

That's a fair question and I do not have an answer.  It's clear that the politicians will never come up with a workable solution and it certainly won't happen as long as DT is the leader.  What he has done now is still keep the 100% enforcement in place and the next hurdle will be the Florida court ruling that the immigrant children can only be held 20 days. He will try to have his cronies force the judge to change his ruling and eliminate the 20 day period and if he doesn't he will say that he has done all that he can and the problem now lies with the court and congress since they won't approve legislation to overrule the judge's ruling.  If the 20 day period is removed some of these cases are taking up to 4 years to be heard.  The  first option is to resend the 100% edict and go back to catch and release and then look at adding people where needed to reduce the processing time but?

 

I guess that I would first empanel an independent commission to review the problem including the long time that it takes in the judicial system but how do you keep the  politicians from meddling in it ala Devon Nunes and friends!  As long as it remains in the hands of the politicans it's just a greased football.

 

In the end Trumpty Dumpty will never take ownership of the problem.

The way to help stem the flow of immigrants is to help them get their home counterys in order but under trump that won’t happen.and to you trumpets don’t worry he will screw this up try blaming the dems then start screaming for his stupid wall instead of building bridges 

With a well garded wall , there wouldn't be illegal immigrants .

Build that wall ! Trump 2020 .

1 minute ago, BuaBS said:

With a well garded wall , there wouldn't be illegal immigrants .

Build that wall ! Trump 2020 .

Nonsense.

5 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

With a well garded wall

Remember, it has to be "see-through" too.

 

"Without a wall, you don't have a country." Wierd that we've survived for 200+ years without a wall. Lucky I guess?

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, jackh said:

To be perfectly clear, these laws were passed by Clinton. No liberals objected to them. Obama did not care in 8 years to change them and instead passed them onto Trump. Trump had nothing to do but actually enforce the law.

 

Now Trump has actually tried to temporary stop them via executive order. But still he is the bad guy. Trump haters will always hate, no matter what great things Trump does for this country. So be it. Real Americans could care less about all the liberal haters.

 

Liberal meltdown is a disgrace to America and they won't be satisfied until the US becomes a socialist country.

 

Guess what....ain't NEVER going to happen.

as long as Americans have no heart it will never happen, Trump is not the problem he is just the symptom of the hate in America today.  don't blame trump.  blame the heartless, paranoid millions that voted for him.  i was in the States last month. it's full of this kind.  really  palpable bad vibes.  could not wait to get the hell out.. empty soulless consumers who will buy anything that is sold to them on F^%$^&* t.v, including a Trump.  i think the Thai's are a genuinely happier people.  just my op.

 

Edited June 21, 20188 yr by malibukid

33 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

With a well garded wall , there wouldn't be illegal immigrants .

Build that wall ! Trump 2020 .

1250 miles of the border between the US and Mexico is the Rio Grande River.  Please tell me how they are going to build the wall.  It can't be built on the Mexican side., and the resources for both agriculture and recreation are used by both countries so if it is built on the US side the US citizens would not have access.  So the only option is to build it down the center of the river.  I think that would be quite and engineering feat!

1 minute ago, wayned said:

1250 miles of the border between the US and Mexico is the Rio Grande River.

 

That's just Mexico.

 

What about the northern border wall? And the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico water-walls?

 

We need walls, big, beautiful, strong, tall walls, otherwise we'll be infested.

Trump is not against putting children in cages, he’s only backing down because of the negative publicity. 

 

I call bullshit in claiming Clinton’s policies, this didn’t happen until Trump took office. 

 

Trump’s a horrible, vile person who will do as much evil as he can until he’s called out and forced to stop. 

 

Its like Laura Ingram only apologizing after he advertisers start pulling out. 

She didn’t change her mind, she was just effected negatively by it and forced to change for financial reasons. 

 

Trump wouldn’t be continuing if it wasn’t for the outrage. 

 

44 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

With a well garded wall , there wouldn't be illegal immigrants .

Build that wall ! Trump 2020 .

You’re a delusional bigot. 

Creates the problems,  waits, then comes to the rescue  .....  denture donny does dang it.

45 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

With a well garded wall , there wouldn't be illegal immigrants .

Build that wall ! Trump 2020 .

Most experts on immigration disagree.

Here's the opinion of 2 of them

Texas smugglers say Trump's border wall wouldn't stop immigrants, drugs from pouring across the border

"If the Trump administration follows through on the president's promises to build a border wall, would it actually stop undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs? Two former smugglers explain how they'd work around it."

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/25/texas-smugglers-say-trumps-border-wall-wouldnt-stop-immigrants-drugs-p/

2 hours ago, jackh said:

To be perfectly clear, these laws were passed by Clinton. No liberals objected to them. Obama did not care in 8 years to change them and instead passed them onto Trump. Trump had nothing to do but actually enforce the law.

 

Now Trump has actually tried to temporary stop them via executive order. But still he is the bad guy. Trump haters will always hate, no matter what great things Trump does for this country. So be it. Real Americans could care less about all the liberal haters.

 

Liberal meltdown is a disgrace to America and they won't be satisfied until the US becomes a socialist country.

 

Guess what....ain't NEVER going to happen.

Bullshit! This didn’t happen under Clinton. 

 

Quit trying to to blame other people for the evil things this  corrosive, dictator-loving, hypocritical clot of congealed Creamsicle, spray-tan goo does.