The Trump Administration Partially Reversed Its Fingerprint Policy for Migrant Families
NewsPoliticsEarlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would begin fingerprinting family members who came forward to sponsor children being held in government custody after crossing the border, as well as fingerprint all adults in the sponsor’s household. That move raised fears that fewer people would be willing to sponsor unaccompanied minors, concerns that have been borne out since the policy was implemented in June. According to Mother Jones, when the fingerprint policy was instituted in June, about 9,000 children were being held in federal custody; today, that number has mushroomed to almost 15,000, and the average length of time that children spend in government shelters has increased from 40 days in 2016 to 59 days. For those who do come forward, the consequences have been equally as dire—in December, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it had arrested 170 people who had come forward to sponsor children.
Now, the administration has partly reversed its fingerprint policy, apparently deciding that being slightly less cruel to immigrant families is good policy. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the network of 137 shelters that house migrant children and teenagers, will now only fingerprint potential sponsors—backing off from the requirement that all adults living with the sponsor submit their fingerprints.