Jul 3, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Migrant parents given option of deportation without their kids

Protestors with one holding a sign that says "Seeking asylum is not illegal"

Photo: Cory Clark/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The almost 2,000 migrant parents who have been separated from their children are being given an ultimatum from the Trump administration: Reunite with your kids and be deported as a family, or be deported without them, according to an immigration form obtained by NBC News' Julia Ainsley and Jacob Soboroff.

Yes, but: This form is only given to parents who have received removal orders, and does not prevent them from applying for asylum, a Department of Homeland Security official told Axios.

As it stands, if parents are being held in detention — whether or not they've applied for asylum — they cannot be reunited with their children except for deportation. If a parent has applied for asylum, and has been granted release until their hearing, they are then able to work toward being reunited with their children.

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