Democrats and progressives are alarmed by reports the Biden administration is considering reinstating family separation with migrants at the southern border.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on Monday reported that officials with the Department of Homeland Security are considering reinstating the policy to deal with the end of Title 42.
Administration officials have neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
"I'm not going to go weigh in on rumors that are out there or conversations that are happening at this time. The Department of Homeland Security is certainly continuing to prepare for the eventual lift of Title 42," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.
"No decisions have been made. But we've been very clear with how the president wants to move forward … by putting forward a comprehensive immigration reform."
Just the news that family detention was being considered upset Democrat lawmakers.
"I'm alarmed by news reports that the Administration is considering reinstating family detention policies," Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement. "Not only are these policies cruel and harmful to children, but they don't prevent families from traveling to the United States.
"If the reports are true, I strongly urge the Administration to reconsider this policy change and instead work towards implementing immigration policies that are humane, orderly, and in line with our American values."
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., agreed, tweeting: "This was wrong under [then-President Donald] Trump and it's wrong now. The administration needs to work with us to fix our border and asylum system instead of reviving failed strategies like family detention."
Reuters reported last month that the U.S. could bar tens of thousands of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border from claiming asylum under a proposal that would be the most wide-ranging attempt yet by Biden's administration to deter people from crossing the border without authorization.
"The Biden administration has been rolling out Trump 2.0 policies for many months now," National Immigrant Justice Center Executive Director Mary Meg McCarthy said in a statement.
"These cruel and inhumane policies are becoming this administration's legacy. President Biden has a choice to make: He can either continue to outdo his predecessor or respect the human rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers."
Biden was critical of family detention while campaigning in 2020. In December 2021, his administration announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement was holding no more detainee families.
Title 42, the pandemic immigration policy enacted under Trump, has been central to the Biden administration's management of the border. It's due to expire May 11.
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