Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Report: DHS Lacked Technology to Track Separated Migrant Families

Aline Barros

   WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security lacked a technology
   system to efficiently track separated migrant families during the
   execution of the zero tolerance immigration policy in 2018, a [1]report
   released Wednesday by the agency's inspector general found.

   The Office of Inspector General (OIG) was not able to confirm the total
   number of families DHS separated under the zero tolerance policy, in
   which every adult who crossed the border illegally, including those who
   came with their children, was criminally prosecuted.

   The result was a widespread practice of separating families at the
   border.

   "DHS also did not provide adequate guidance to personnel responsible
   for executing the zero tolerance policy," the report found.

   According to OIG, DHS estimated that border patrol agents separated
   3,014 children from their families while the policy was in place.

   Yet, OIG investigators were able to identify about 1,400 cases where
   separations may have occurred but were not documented in the various
   methods to record and track family separations used by DHS and border
   patrol officials.

References

   1. https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2019-11/OIG-20-06-Nov19.pdf

.