(KGTV) - Families who are caught illegally entering the U.S. will likely be broken up under a new border security policy that is now in effect, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
The newspaper, citing a Department of Homeland Security official, reported a new Trump administration policy would separate parents and children in the event a family is detained for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
In a news conference Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the separation is due to the legal process, adding that citizens in the U.S. are also separated from their families when they're arrested.
According to the report, families that are detained for illegal crossings have typically been kept together in the past. However, the Homeland Security official told the LA Times that under the new rule, parents will face prosecution while their children are taken to a separate facility.
RELATED STORIES:
- Trump says he may have to 'close up country' if border wall not funded
- MAP: Where is the migrant caravan from?
- Nearly half of migrant caravan from Central America start asylum process
- Seven states sue to end Dreamers immigration program for good
Those who enter the U.S. illegally will not be detained and returned over the border; anyone who crosses into the country illegally can expect to be held for prosecution, the LA Times reported.
The DHS official told the newspaper that families that are seeking asylum and properly present themselves at border crossings can remain together while they undergo the process of seeking protection.
