“The report found that 40 children in this group were separated from their parents for at least four weeks, although one didn’t see their family for more than a year,” BuzzFeed News’ Hamed Aleaziz reported. The report said that in one instance, officials separated a Guatemalan mother from all four of her children, including a 5-month-old infant. “The family was separated for seven weeks. The mother told inspector general investigators that she would no longer be able to nurse her child as a result,” Aleaziz reported.
The BuzzFeed News report said that former Homeland Security Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen had claimed families arriving at a port of entry would be separated only under very specific circumstances, including if the child was at risk, saying: “DHS is not separating families legitimately seeking asylum at ports of entry. If an adult enters at a port of entry and claims asylum, they will not face prosecution for illegal entry. They have not committed a crime by coming to the port of entry.” Continue reading.