Immigration Advocates Hope Biden Will Address Overlooked Family Separations at the Border

As President Joe Biden prepares to announce a family separation task force to reunite children and parents separated at the border, advocates hope he’ll also tackle separations that have gotten less attention.

The goal of the task force, expected to be announced Tuesday, February 2, 2021, through an executive order, will be to identify thousands of children separated under the Trump administration and make recommendations as to how the families can be reunited, possibilities that could include bringing parents back to the US via parole or issuing visas, according to a senior administration official.

Leah Chavla, a senior policy advisor for migrant rights and justice at the Women’s Refugee Commission, which is part of a court-appointed steering committee, said that in addition to bringing deported parents back to the US, the Biden administration should offer them a path to legal permanent residency for the trauma the US inflicted on them and their children.