Did President Obama Cause The Separation Of Border Children From Their Parents?

President Donald Trump has been accused of falsely asserting that the federal policy that split migrant families at the border was practiced by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Experts argue that there were some separations under previous administrations, but no blanket policy to prosecute parents and separate them from their children. Between April 19 and the end of May, 1,995 minors were separated from adults at the border, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Under Obama, children were separated from parents only when authorities had concerns for their well-being or could not confirm that the adult was their legal guardian.

Trump has repeated his assertion that he inherited and ended a policy from President Obama that separates children from parents who cross the US-Mexico border. However, immigration advocates and former Obama administration officials argue that the Obama administration detained families together. Trump has also stated that he is not considering reimplementing his administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy, stating that he has just gone from being much more strict towards families crossing the border.

In conclusion, Trump’s claim that the federal policy that split migrant families at the border was practiced by his predecessor is false and misleading.