Biden administration considering restarting family detention for migrants
NBCNov 25, 2022
The Facts
Pres. Biden’s administration is reportedly considering re-instituting the practice of detaining migrant families who illegally cross the border. Previously, the administration ended family detention in favor of a system that releases families into the US and tracks them with technology.
With the Title 42 border policy — which allows border agents to reject, on public-health grounds, migrants illegally crossing the border — ending in May, the administration has reportedly held meetings between the White House and the Dept. of Homeland Security to mull several options as border crossings remain high.
The Spin
Republican narrative
So, it turns out, policing the border and controlling illegal immigration isn’t easy. After criticizing the Trump administration and calling its policies inhumane, Biden is considering re-implementing family detention just a month after he tightened rules for claiming asylum. At least Biden’s clear hypocrisy might lead to an actual effective policy moving forward.
Democratic narrative
The administration is just considering detaining migrant families among several options for dealing with a potential surge of border crossings. Nothing has been implemented. If the administration brings back this policy, it would only be for short-term detentions, not the indefinite ones seen under Trump.
Establishment-critical narrative
Detaining migrant families was unacceptable under previous administrations, and Biden bringing it back after campaigning against it and ending it would be shameful and a global embarrassment. It’s a cruel and inhumane policy that has no place in the US, which likes to boast it’s the freest country in the world.
