The Trump Administration Wants the ACLU To Clean Up Its Family Separation Mess
After missing last week's deadline to reunite families separated under the Trump Administration's controversial Zero Tolerance policy, President Trump is now suggesting that it's the responsibility of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)-rather than the administration's-to reunite families.
The Hill reports that on Thursday, the Trump Administration told a federal judge they "shouldn’t be responsible" for tracking down migrant parents, and that the ACLU (a non -profit) should use its "considerable resources" to do so.
“Plaintiffs’ counsel should use their considerable resources and their network of law firms, NGOs, volunteers, and others, together with the information that defendants have provided (or will soon provide), to establish contact with possible class members in foreign countries,” the department stated documents from the court filing.
The ACLU rightfully offered a rebuttal, arguing that ultimately the government “must bear the ultimate burden of finding the parents” due to its “unconstitutional separation practice.”
"Not only was it the government's unconstitutional separation practice that led to this crisis, but the United States Government has far more resources than any group of NGOs (no matter how many NGOs and law firms are willing to help)," the ACLU wrote in the filing, adding that they "hope that the government will take significant and prompt steps to find the parents on their own."
The Trump Administration also reportedly suggested via court documents that the ACLU speak with each deported parent to evaluate whether or not that parent might waive his or her unification rights.
After missing last week's court-ordered deadline, hundreds of migrant children have still yet to be reunited with their parent or guardian, and more than 500 migrant fathers and sons at Karnes detention center in Texas have planned a hunger strike in hopes of expediting the process.
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