The Biden administration will allow families separated at the southern border by the Trump administration to reunite and remain in the United States, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday.
In remarks at the White House, Mayorkas called it a “moral imperative to reunite the families.”
“We are hoping to reunite the families here or the countries of origin,” he added. “We hope to be in a position to give them the election. And if, in fact, they seek to reunite here in the United States, we will explore lawful pathways for them to remain in the United States.”
He also vowed to “rebuild our nation’s asylum system.”
Under former President Donald Trump’s family separation policy, some 2,800 families were separated in 2018. While some were reunited, about 550 children were not reconnected with their parents under the prior administration, The Hill reported.
Mayorkas, head of the family reunification task force established by President Joe Biden, said the administration has so far reunited 105 families.
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