Under the policy, agents are required to identify the relationship between adult and child migrants at the border and document it in their database. Agents also must ensure that a guardian can take custody of a minor before deporting a parent. Only when that is not possible or there are concerns about abuse, "a local law enforcement agency would be asked to take custody." 

And, notably, ICE staff must ensure that a parent or legal guardian can participate in child-welfare proceedings, either in person or virtually. A parent or guardian who has been deported will be able to return to the U.S. temporarily for their child’s hearing. 

Under the Trump administration’s "zero tolerance" policy, 5,636 families were separated from July 2017 to January 2021, according to the Family Reunification Task Force. As of last month, 180 children separated under the policy had yet to be reunited with their families. 

Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Forum Daily.  I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].  

‘VERY DANGEROUS’— Concerns are growing that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) latest directive empowering state officers and the National Guard to return unauthorized migrants to border ports of entry could lead to violence, Julian Resendiz reports for Border Report. "What he is doing is very dangerous," said Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas). "I am very concerned that communities like mine will see more acts of violence against immigrants, against Latinos, against residents of the border." Despite Abbott’s political theatrics, the issue isn’t new. "... People shouldn’t be surprised we have more unauthorized migration if we shut down legal immigration paths," Escobar said. For more on these concerns, see Cindy Ramirez’s piece in El Paso Matters. 

ACCOUNTABILITY — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a 23-page federal complaint Tuesday against ICE, which it says has been releasing people from custody just before they die, reports Paul Ingram of The Tucson Sentinel. ICE has not responded to an April ACLU request for documents "including medical records of four detainees who died at hospitals days after they were released from the agency’s custody." The ACLU says ICE has released dozens of "deathly ill people" before they died, "allowing the agency to avoid reporting their deaths to the public, avoid investigation, and avoid medical costs for people in its custody." Said Michael Kaufman, a California ACLU attorney, "The public has the right to know about ICE’s shameful patient dumping practices … The federal government cannot evade responsibility for the fatal health conditions people suffer in its custody." 

AGING OUT — Fiona Harrigan of  Reason has more on the more than 200,000 "documented Dreamers" who have resided in the U.S. since childhood but face a cutoff date for remaining legally under their parents’ visas. By the time they turn 21, Dreamers such as Fedora Castelino are required to secure their own work visa or find sponsorship for a green card — or face self-deportation. "It’s so hard to realize that I’ve lived here basically my entire life — this is actually not my home," Castelino said. "Even after finishing all my schooling in America, I’m still not in a home country, which is really hard to accept." The House will vote on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that could create a permanent pathway for these Dreamers.   

SETTLING DOWN — With help from the Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services, Catholic Charities of San Antonio, and other local organizations, Afghan allies Hamid and Khalid have settled into new homes and jobs in San Antonio, Shari Biediger writes in San Antonio Report. Both are former interpreters for the U.S. military. Hamid is working for a refugee resettlement agency, and Khalid is working as a leasing manager for Franklin Apartment Management, "which has worked to ease the transition to life in San Antonio for many refugees." 

Also, in local welcome today:  

• In Ohio, Avon Lake United Church of Christ’s welcome of an Afghan family serves as a shining example of immigrant welcome the denomination is looking to expand. "The UCC urgently needs churches to consider dedicating ministerial time and resources to asylum concerns as policies and migration patterns are rapidly changing at the southern border," said Rev. Irene Willis Hassan, minister for refugee and migration ministries. (Connie Larkman, United Church of Christ)