Trump Administration Has Resumed Detention For Migrant Families in Texas, Advocacy Group Claims

A legal nonprofit organization serving migrant families is claiming that the Trump administration resumed the detention of immigrant families at a Texas facility last week, reversing a policy change made by the Biden administration.

As reported by the Associated Press, members of Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) said 14 migrant families are being held at the detention facility in Karnes City, Texas, the first one to serve as a detention center for migrant families.

Just last week, CoreCivic, which operates detention centers, announced a contract with ICE to hold immigrant families at another South Texas facility in Dilley, Texas.

The first such arrests took place on March 6, according to an internal government report obtained by CBS News. Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman at the Department of Homeland Security, said those detained had deportation orders and confirmed that the Trump administration was refurbishing two immigration detention centers in Texas to hold families.

"We aren't going to ignore the rule of law," McLaughlin told CBS News.

Immigration advocacy groups have raised their concerns over the Trump administration's decision, saying it is harmful to children and their psychological well-being.

"There is no safe way to detain families and no legitimate justification for this inhumane practice," said attorney Neha Desai, who works for the National Center of Youth Law representing migrant children in a federal court case.

During his first presidential term, Trump implemented the "Zero Tolerance Policy," aimed to curb illegal immigration by prosecuting anyone who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. Under the policy, children were taken into federal custody as they couldn't be imprisoned with parents and other family members, which resulted in more than 3,000 children being separated from their families according to NPR.

Trump's "Zero Tolerance Policy" was eventually rescinded by the Justice Department in 2021.