DHS to ask Congress for sweeping authority to deport unaccompanied migrant children

Article CAIRCO note: 
Letter is attached here
Article author: 
Julia Ainsley
Article publisher: 
NBC News
Article date: 
28 March 2019
Article category: 
National News
Medium
Article Body: 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will ask Congress for the authority to deport unaccompanied migrant children more quickly, to hold families seeking asylum in detention until their cases are decided and to allow immigrants to apply for asylum from their home countries, according to a copy of the request obtained by NBC News.

In a letter to Congress, Nielsen said she will be seeking a legislative proposal in the coming days to address what she called the "root causes of the emergency" that has led to a spike in border crossings in recent weeks ...

Daily border crossings have recently hit a 13-year high, leading immigration agents to release immigrants from their custody rather than transferring them to prolonged detention ...