President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will be "signing something in a little while" that will allow the children of illegal border crossers to remain with their parents.
The Trump administration has triggered bipartisan backlash by implementing a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal border crossings, charging all individuals who cross the border illegally with unlawful entry. People who claim to seek asylum are also charged with unlawful entry and taken into custody until their case is processed. Federal law prevents children from being held in the same detention facility as those charged with unlawful entry, causing border patrol agents to separate children from their families.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen drafted an order for the agency to halt the practice of separating families that cross the border illegally, according to the Associated Press. Nielsen is on her way to the White House to discuss the order with the president and his team.
Trump told White House reporters that he will sign something to stop the separation of families.
"I’ll be signing something in a little while that’s going to do that. I’ll be doing something that’s somewhat preemptive and ultimately will be matched by legislation," Trump said.
https://twitter.com/kevincorke/status/1009464729721561093
This is counter to what the Trump administration and the president himself has argued, claiming the president's hands were tied and that Congress only had the power to stop the separation of families.
Nielsen said on Monday, "Congress alone can fix it."