Senators Seek To Prevent US Authorites From Using Health Agency Data To Target Immigrants

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2018) US Senators Kamala Harris and Ron Wyden in a statement said they introduced legislation that would prevent immigration authorities from using health agency data to take action against immigrant families.

"The Families Not Facilities Act would... Prohibit the Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security from using US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) information provided by an unaccompanied child, or initially obtained to evaluate sponsorship of an unaccompanied child, to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions against a child, prospective or current custodian or sponsor, or resident in the home of the prospective or current custodian or sponsor," the release said on Wednesday.

Unaccompanied children, Harris said in the release, are being held in detention facilities because parents and sponsors will not come forward for fear of reprisal from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The legislation, according to the release, would redirect the ICE budget to the new Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) programs that would provide unaccompanied children with social services and legal representation. The act would also require the creation of an ORR committee of nonprofit immigration and child welfare experts that would conduct assessments and publish reports.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration adopted a "zero tolerance" policy that resulted in prosecuting adults who crossed the border illegally and forcing their children into the custody of the ORR.