Parents are the latest target in the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. Last week, ICE began arresting parents who paid smugglers to escort their children to the U.S., NYT reports. Previously, ICE focused on arresting the smugglers, but this new immigration strategy penalizes the parents who organized travel so their children could join them in the U.S.
Why it matters: This could make thousands of parents vulnerable to being arrested just as their children arrive. Immigration advocates argue this will separate families — when kids are detained at the border, they are typically sent to stay with parents or another relative, but this new rule would send their parents to jail instead. Therefore, the children would either be paired with another relative living in the states or, if that's not possible, they'll be sent to a juvenile immigration detention center.
