Flexibility In Immigration Law Gives Hope For Family Reunification

With the rise of irregular immigration in the United States, hundreds of people have been separated from their families, breaking the bond of unity that any parent or child wishes to preserve regardless of their socioeconomic situation. The World Health Organization defines the family as “a group of people living together under the same roof, organized in fixed roles (father, mother, siblings, etc.) with blood or non-blood ties, with a common economic and social way of life, with affective feelings that unite and bind them together”. A concept that, in recent years, motivated by the diaspora of citizens from different countries of the continent, has been dismembered by the separations of its members.

On Thursday, July 14, the U.S. the United States government issued an Immigration Law enforcement directive to federal agents, instructing them to ask migrants about their parental or guardian status during detentions. The move is part of a broader effort by Joe Biden to prioritize family unity and replace former President Donald Trump’s more restrictive policies. The directive, issued to all Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees, also calls for previously deported immigrants to be allowed to return to the country temporarily for child custody hearings.

There is still a long way to go in the search for fair treatment of immigrants seeking a better future for their family members, and some of them have had to seek this better future away from their loved ones, but this measure is a small step that gives hope to thousands of parents to be with their children.