What Trump's Executive Order Means For Families Separated At The U.S. Border

President Trump, who'd previously supported a policy that separated immigrant families at the U.S. Border, signed an executive sort ending that practice on Wednesday (June 20). The new sort means that immigrant families will still be prosecuted for entering the nation illegally, though right now they'll be detained with each other "indefinitely" at facilities that still may need to be built, as The New York Times reports.


Though the language of the order blames Congress's "failure to act" for having to separate families in the initial place, its signing comes soon after widespread resistance, including from Trump's own party and from national protests contained last week under the banner Families Belong Together. Protesters were galvanized to act immediately after distressing pictures and stories hit social media depicting children separated from their parents and sleeping in cages, crammed five in a room at repurposed Walmarts, or in so-called "tent cities" at charges reportedly exceeding what it would take to keep families together.


Earlier this week, ProPublica procured chilling audio of 10 Central American children screaming indoor a U.S. Customs and Border Protection soon after being separated from their parents, which speedily went viral. The policy has separated an announced 2,400 children from their families since late 2016.


Yet, because the Times points out, the executive sort may face a roadblock: a 1997 settlement that prevents the government from detaining children for longer than 20 days, even if they're with their families. This could mean that immigration activists, speaking for families being contained indefinitely by the government, could legally challenge the executive order.


As NBC News points out, the categorize does not include any plans on how the government will reunite children currently separated from their families. Yet concurrently, organizers are already planning to take their message of support for separated families to Washington, D.C. On June 30, and also by way of the coordinated rallies across the nation. You could find out more intelligence on that and on locally organized events right here.


To learn more about how you could will support immigrant families, visit unitedwedream.Org.