Durbin Visits Separated Migrant Children In Care Of Chicago Charity
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Dozens of migrant children separated from their parents as a result of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on illegal border crossings have been brought to Chicago, in the care of a local non-profit that has been able to locate their families, but not reunite them.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin met privately Friday with some of the 66 separated migrant children being cared for in Chicago.
They are being sheltered by the Heartland Alliance, a non-profit human rights group helping migrant children who were taken away from their parents before President Donald Trump issued an executive order temporarily halting the practice of separating families.
A total of 451 unaccompanied minors are in the agency's care in Chicago; 66 of those were brought to the city in the last few weeks, specifically because of the Trump administration's new policy of prosecuting every adult caught crossing the border illegally.
One third of the children are under age 5, mostly toddlers and infants.
Durbin said the children brought to Chicago were being housed at a facility similar to a daycare center, but did not specify where the facility is.
"It is terrible at a young age to be separated from your mother, your father, and that's what's happened as official government policy of this country. That is unfortunate, it is inhumane, it is cruel," he said. "We have very practical issues that face Heartland Alliance and those who are the custodians of these kids taking care of them. Basic questions about does this child have a medical issue, medical problem?"
The senator expressed frustration about the federal government's apparent inability to track the children after they leave the border.
The Heartland Alliance said it has been able to locate the families of the 66 children brought to Chicago, but it was with no help from the federal government. It was the children themselves who offered clues, and it took sleuthing by the Heartland Alliance to do the rest.
None of the children brought to Chicago have relatives in the area, and none have been returned to their parents.
Durbin said he will meet with a bipartisan group of senators on Monday to look for a humane and sensible solution to the problem of reuniting families.
On Wednesday, the House rejected the more conservative of two Republican proposals to overhaul immigration and keep families together at the border. The vote on a more moderate compromise measure was delayed until next week, as lawmakers worked on changes to win more support.