Statement for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Hearing on "The Implications of Reinterpretation of the Flores Settlement for Border Security and Illegal Immigration Incentives"

The American Immigration Council and American Immigration Lawyers Association submitted a written statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for a September 18, 2018 hearing on "The Implications of Reinterpretation of the Flores Settlement for Border Security and Illegal Immigration Incentives." The statement covers our analysis and research on the Central American refugee crisis. It also expresses our deep concern around the Trump administration's proposal to detain asylum-seeking children with parents for the duration of their immigration proceedings, thereby violating the core tenet of the Flores Settlement Agreement.