Trump says US policy separating migrant families is law. It's not.

June 16, 2018June 18, 2018 WKXA

John Moore/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Donald Trump told reporters on Friday, when asked about separating migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border: “I hate the children being taken away. The Democrats have to change their law. That’s their law.”

No, it’s not. No law mandates separating families.

The administration’s current policy was announced April 6 and went into effect in May. From April 19 to May 31, 1,995 children were separated from 1,940 adults, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesman.

Because of the policy, more adults have been jailed and more children have been shipped elsewhere. Previously, people who entered the country illegally and had no criminal record were detained or referred for deportation, and mothers and children usually remained together.

Government officials have said minors shouldn’t be housed with adults in criminal holding facilities and that such a policy also should deter border crossings, even from those seeking asylum. There’s a limit on how long children can be held before being transferred to a licensed family facility. More generally, the government is supposed to house minors in the least restrictive way possible.

“From a law enforcement perspective, this zero-tolerance approach makes little sense,” said John Cohen, an ABC News consultant and former acting Homeland Security undersecretary. “The majority of those detained are non-violent individuals or families who have committed what amounts to a misdemeanor. Incarcerating these individuals, as opposed to issuing a notice to appear, is resource intensive, and as a result vital law enforcement resources and attention are being diverted from dealing with more serious border security issues.”