Since the establishment of an immigration policy called the “Flores Settlement” in 1997, our laws have prevented children illegally crossing our border from being held in detention centers for more than 20 days. With the surge in those claiming asylum, the backlog of cases became impossible to resolve within 20 days. So the Obama administration decided to release the parents and children into the United States, pending a future court hearing (a practice commonly called “catch and release.”) Yet … according to the Heritage Foundation, 95% of asylum claimants never show up to their court hearing. And according to reports, as many as 80% of asylum claims are denied as illegitimate.
The Trump Administration decided instead to hold all adult illegal migrants in custody to prevent asylum claimants from fleeing. But, still bound by the Flores settlement, the Administration was forced to separate children after 20 days to the Department of Health and Human Services to find them a responsible guardian (with preference for relatives).
Why the surge in those illegally crossing the border and claiming assylum (remember, the separation policy did not apply to those entering the country legally)? Just pause to think about this statistic: a 314% increase in adults showing up with kids that are not a family unit. Those are traffickers. Those are smugglers. That is MS-13. They are criminals. They are abusers. Stop the magnet!
