Biden administration to allow migrant children to reunite with parents legally in US

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is re-instating a plan that was ended under the Trump era to help migrant minors in Central America reunite with their parents who are in the US legally.

Roberta Jacobson, special assistant to President Joe Biden and coordinator for the US-Mexico border, announced the reinstatement of the Central American Minors (CAM) program, adding that in phase 2 of the CAM program, they will be working to improve safe legal avenues for entry into the US. The CAM program was established in 2014 to provide minors living in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras the opportunity to be considered for refugee resettlement in the US.

Jacobson cautioned, however, that this does not mean people with young children should to try to enter the US in an “irregular fashion” and that “the border is not open.”

This announcement comes shortly after the Biden administration received criticism for opening a migrant detention center for children and teens. The Trump administration opened the detention center for one month, and the Biden administration re-opened it to detain up to 700 migrant minors.