The Joe Biden government is considering resuming the controversial policy of detaining migrant families —including children— who cross the southern border irregularly, anticipating an increase in the migratory flow after the imminent end of Title 42.
The government has not yet made a firm decision on whether to resume this policy, two sources familiar with the discussions told NBC News.
The sources detailed that officials from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security
have met several times in recent days
to discuss how to respond to a possible increase in the flow of migrants, once the national emergency by COVID-19 ends on 11 May and the sanitary norm known as Title 42 is without effect.
A Venezuelan immigrant holds her 10-month-old daughter, next to the US-Mexico border fence on December 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas.John Moore/Getty Images
Some Biden Administration officials have strongly resisted reinstating the immigration family detention policy, the sources said.
The government's plans were first reported by The New York Times.
[The end of the national emergency for COVID-19 may mean the abrupt termination of Title 42 at the border]
The detention of migrant families was put into practice under the Barack Obama Administration and continued under Donald Trump, but
was suspended when Biden took office in 2021 after promising more humane treatment at the border.
