President Trump has signed an executive order to allow children to stay with parents caught crossing the border illegally, putting an end to the family separations that have captured media attention.
The measure, signed Wednesday, allows children to stay in detention with parents for an extended period of time. This comes as lawmakers work to pass a measure addressing the same issue.
The order also directs the government’s lawyers to ask for a modification the existing 1997 Flores settlement agreement, that currently prohibits the federal government from keeping children in immigration detention for more than 20 days, even if they are with their parents.
There is no guarantee the court will agree to that request. If not, the president is likely to face an immediate legal challenge.
Fox News reports, the executive order will likely draw a lawsuit. But the White House wants to try to take steps to uphold the enforcement of the law, while at the same time lessening the trauma of children being separated from their parents.
“I think you have to understand, we are keeping families together, but we have to keep our borders strong,” Trump said at a meeting with GOP lawmakers earlier Wednesday.
“We want the heart, but we also want strong borders and we want no crime. We don’t want crime in this country.”
h/t Fox News