One Democrat said “no amount of verbal gymnastics will change” that the homeland security secretary knew the administration had a policy to separate families at the border.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Wednesday that the U.S. was working on an agreement with Central American countries to crack down on migration, human trafficking and so-called caravans of migrants and refugees as she faced fierce criticism from Democrats about the separations of children from their parents at the border.
The U.S. was expecting to sign “a historic regional compact” with Northern Triangle countries to “counter irregular migration, human smuggling, trafficking and the formation of caravans” in March, Nielsen said during her first congressional appearance since Democrats won the House in the midterm elections.
Last month, Nielsen traveled to Central America to meet with officials from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to discuss migration and regional security issues.
During an at-times tense hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee, Nielsen faced pointed questions from Democratic lawmakers about the family separations, President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southern border and a policy of forcing some migrants to wait in Mexico after seeking asylum in the U.S.
Lawmakers repeatedly criticized Nielsen over her statements that the Trump administration did not have “a policy” of separating migrant families, despite then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announcing the “zero tolerance” policy last spring. Under that directive, migrant adults who crossed the border illegally faced prosecution, leading to them being separated from their children.
“No amount of verbal gymnastics will change that she knew the Trump administration was implementing a policy to separate families at the border,” Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said of Nielsen.
Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., asked Nielsen: “Were you aware that the zero tolerance policy would lead to minors being separated from their parents? Yes, or no?”
“As a consequence for a parent going to jail, we in this country do not take the children to jail,” Nielsen responded.
Rice said she took Nielsen’s response “as a yes.”
Later, Nielsen repeated there was never a family separations policy, prompting Rice to heatedly respond: “When you knew that that policy was going to result in children having to be taken away from their parents. That is a policy. You should admit it.”
Rice also asked if there had ever been a separated parent deported without finding out if the parent wanted their children deported with them. (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nielsen-says-u-s-working-migration-crackdown-agreement-central-america-n980131)
