Former INS agent Michael Cutler told Newsmax TV on Friday the Trump administration missed the court-ordered deadline to reunify thousands of separated illegal immigrant children with their parents because officials wanted to "err on the side of the safety of the children."
"It's apparent that they're working not to meet deadlines, but to err on the side of the safety of the children," Cutler told "America Talks Live" in an interview.
He talked with Newsmax TV hosts Miranda Khan, John Cardillo, and Dr. Gina Loudon.
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Trump officials said Thursday that more than 1,800 children at least 5 years old had been reunited with parents or sponsors hours before the deadline set by a federal judge in San Diego.
That included 1,442 children who were returned to parents who were in custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and another 378 who were released under other circumstances.
In addition, about 700 more remain separated, including 431 whose parents were deported, officials say.
Those reunions take more time, effort and paperwork as authorities fly children to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Cutler then referred to the many alien children who were smuggled across the border into the U.S.
"Wouldn't it be nice if the members of the judiciary — some of these judges — and members of Congress understood that that's really the key issue," Cutler told the Newsmax TV hosts.
"Smuggling children into the United States is hazardous to their health," he continued. "It's also dangerous for national security and public safety.
"The Trump administration is looking to find solutions to a very serious problem."
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