So far, much of the burden of finding families has been on nonprofits and lawyers like Dora Melara, who often start with very little information and have to rely on the kindness of strangers to track people down.
The term “concentration camps” has been used to describe migrant detention centers on the southern border under the Trump administration — and not without controversy. But the term has particularly affected some Latinx Jews.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned at President Trump’s request. This comes development comes after Trump’s frustration with illegal immigrants and asylum seekers at the Mexican border, which prompted him to recently threaten to close the border. Nielsen oversaw many of Trump’s most controversial immigration policies, including family separations at the border.
In last three months, ICE has released some 107,000 migrant parents and children in Texas, Arizona and California, many without next steps in place. Shelters, churches and volunteers have stepped in to help these families get to their next destinations. Most are trying to join relatives and friends elsewhere.
A court injunction and presidential order last year were supposed to end the practice. But Border Patrol is still deciding to separate hundreds of families as new reports and Congressional hearings shed light on the controversial practice.