Report: Biden Considering Resuming Detention of Migrant Families

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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.1
  • 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.2
  • Biden loudly campaigned against the practice of detaining migrant families during his presidential run in 2020. He eliminated the policy shortly after taking office.3
  • The policy started in 2014 under former Pres. Obama and continued during former Pres. Trump’s time in office.4
  • Another option reportedly on the table is for the administration to order the arrest of migrant families who have been cited for deportation.5

Sources: 1New York Times, 2CNN, 3Daily Mail, 4NBC and 5FOX News.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by New York Post. 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, as provided by MSNBC. 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, as provided by Common dreams. 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.