President Trump moves to cancel illegal immigrant family loophole

President Trump will move Wednesday to cancel the family “loophole” that’s allowed illegal-immigrant parents and children to pour into the U.S., proposing new rules that would replace the 2015 Flores Settlement court order that created a de facto catch-and-release policy for the families.

According to details provided by an administration official, migrant families could be held in detention together while their cases are heard by immigration judges. That would supersede the 20-day limit imposed by the federal judge in Flores.

If the families can be held in detention, they can be deported, security experts say, and once people in Central America see an increase in deportations, they’ll stop coming.

“Today the administration is closing one of the legal loopholes that has allowed human traffickers and smugglers to exploit our vulnerabilities at the southern border,” a senior official told The Washington Times, previewing the announcement.

“President Trump has made it clear that he’s going to secure America’s border at all cost and this rule plays a vital role in the strategy to restore the integrity to our immigration system and our national security,” the official said.

The move is an end-run around Congress, where Democrats have rebuffed Mr. Trump’s requests for a legislative solution.

When acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan went to Capitol Hill last month to plead for action, he was told it would never happen.

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