WASHINGTON: Thousands more children were forcibly separated from their parents after illegally crossing the US-Mexico border from 2017-2018 than originally admitted by President Donald Trump’s administration, an official report said Thursday.
The inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which was given responsibility for the children, said the total number separated under the administration’s “zero-tolerance policy” toward illegal immigrants remains unknown.
But the department said that so far it has identified 2,737 separated children placed in its care before the controversial policy was officially declared over in May 2018, a number not previously divulged.
After the zero-tolerance announcement was made, and before the policy was halted under political and legal pressure, another nearly 3,000 minors were separated from their parents or adult guardians who illegally crossed into the United States.
The policy was declared amid White House frustration over a resurgence of illegal immigration in the first half of 2018 following a decline the previous year.
Border officials were told to strip children from their parents to be sent to camps run by the HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, eventually to be placed in US relatives’ homes.
Meanwhile, their parents were to be arrested and charged with illegal entry into the country.
Many parents spent months searching for their children.
The policy outraged immigrant and children’s advocates and was branded a crime by international rights activists.
Ordered in June 2018 to better account for the children in its care, HHS identified 2,737 it was caring for at that time.
“However, thousands of children may have been separated during an influx that began in 2017, before the accounting required by the Court, and HHS has faced challenges in identifying separated children,” the department said.
The report added that the Office of Refugee Resettlement had dozens and possibly hundreds of children whom it did not know had been separated from their parents.
The report contradicted statements by administration officials — including Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen — that there was a clear system in place for dealing with the children and that there was not a “policy” of separations.
“The OIG report released today shows that the Trump Administration, with its unique blend of incompetence, cruelty, and disregard for basic decency, misled the American public on one of its most heinous policies to date,” said Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, who heads the House Committee on Homeland Security.
“Thousands more children were separated from their families than we were previously told — and we still don’t even know exactly how many kids have been ripped from their families because the Administration has failed to keep track.”
Late Thursday, Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker branded as a “lie” a tweet by Nielsen in June stating there was no separation policy — and called on her to resign.
“Not only was this a lie — today’s shattering government watchdog report on family separation shows the more we dig, the worse it is,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We’ve seen nothing but a horrifying display of cruelty and incompetence from DHS Secretary Nielsen — she needs to resign.”
‘Thousands’ more children separated from parents at US border in 2017-2018
‘Thousands’ more children separated from parents at US border in 2017-2018
- The department said that so far it has identified 2,737 separated children placed in its care before the controversial policy was officially declared over in May 2018
- The “zero-tolerance policy” policy was declared amid White House frustration over a resurgence of illegal immigration in the first half of 2018
African Union rejects ‘any recognition of Somaliland’ after Israel declaration
- Egypt’s foreign ministry said its top diplomat had spoken with his counterparts from Turkiye, Somalia and Djibouti, who together condemned the move and emphasized “their full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia”
- Israel repeatedly hit targets in Yemen after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel that the rebels said were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
NAIROBI: The African Union on Friday said it “rejects any recognition of Somaliland” after Israel declared it viewed the breakaway Somali territory as a sovereign state.
In a statement issued by its head, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the AU called for African borders to be respected and said: “Any attempt to undermine the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia... risks setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent.”
The chief of the pan-African body, which counts Somalia as a member, said he “firmly rejects any initiative or action aimed at recognizing Somaliland as an independent entity” and stating that Somaliland “remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
While, Somalia reacted angrily on Friday after Israel formally recognized its northern region of Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” — the first country to do so.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has for decades pushed for international recognition, which has been the key priority for president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi since he took office last year.
But a Somali foreign ministry statement warned that the decision was “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty that would undermine peace in the region. Several other countries also condemned Israel’s decision.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he announced “the official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state,” making Israel the first country to do so.
“The declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” Netanyahu’s office said, referring to several agreements between Israel and Arab countries brokered by US President Donald Trump during his first presidency to normalize ties with Israel.
It said Netanyahu had invited Abdullahi to visit.
Hailing Israel’s decision, Abdullahi said in a post on X that it marked the beginning of a “strategic partnership.”
“This is a historic moment as we warmly welcome” he said, affirming “Somaliland’s readiness to join the Abraham Accords,” he added.
In Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, crowds of people took to the streets to celebrate, many carrying the flag of the breakaway state, said sources.
- ‘Illegitimate actions’ -
Somalia’s foreign ministry said: “Illegitimate actions of this nature seriously undermine regional peace and stability, exacerbate political and security tensions, in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Middle East and the wider region.”
Turkiye, a close ally of Somalia, also condemned the move.
“This initiative by Israel, which aligns with its expansionist policy... constitutes overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs,” it said in a foreign ministry statement.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said its top diplomat had spoken with his counterparts from Turkiye, Somalia and Djibouti, who together condemned the move and emphasized “their full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.”
In video showing Netanyahu speaking to Abdullahi by telephone, the Israeli leader said: “I want you to know that I am signing now as we speak Israel’s official recognition of the Somaliland,” adding that the new relationship would offer economic opportunities.
“I am very, very happy and I am very proud of this day and I want to wish you and the people of Somaliland the very, very best,” he said.
Netanyahu also said that he would communicate to Trump Abdullahi’s “willingness and desire to join the Abraham accords.”
A self-proclaimed republic, Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden, has its own money, passports and army. But since its unilateral declaration of independence in 1991, it has grappled with decades of isolation.
- Strategic -
Analysts say matters of strategy were behind Israel’s drive to recognize Somaliland.
“Israel requires allies in the Red Sea region for many strategic reasons, among them the possibility of a future campaign against the Houthis,” said the Institute for National Security Studies in a paper last month, referring to Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels.
“Somaliland is an ideal candidate for such cooperation as it could offer Israel potential access to an operational area close to the conflict zone,” it said, adding there were also economic motives.
Israel repeatedly hit targets in Yemen after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel that the rebels said were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have halted their attacks since a fragile truce began in Gaza in October.
Somaliland’s lack of international recognition has hampered access to foreign loans, aid and investment, and the territory remains deeply impoverished.
A deal between landlocked Ethiopia and Somaliland last year to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base enraged Somalia.
Israel has been trying to bolster relations with countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Historic agreements struck late in Trump’s first term in 2020 saw several countries including Muslim-majority United Arab Emirates and Morocco normalize relations with Israel, but wars that have stoked Arab anger, particularly in Gaza, have hampered recent efforts.
