A US task force has been set up to reunify migrant families divided at the Mexican border under President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" approach, a report said, as opposition Democrats on Saturday kept up the pressure against a "barbaric" policy. Trump on Wednesday ordered an end to the family separations which have sparked domestic and global outrage, but the fate of the more than 2,300 separated children remains unclear.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar issued an order Friday to create the reunification task force, the Politico website reported, citing an internal document it had obtained. Reflecting the breadth and complexity of the challenge, the document orders the department's preparedness and response office - which deals with emergencies and public health disasters - to assist its refugee resettlement office with the effort.
Politico quoted HHS spokesperson Evelyn Stauffer as saying that Azar was "bringing to bear all the relevant resources of the department in order to assist in the reunification or placement of unaccompanied alien children and teenagers with a paarent or appropriate sponsor. The department did not immediately respond to an AFP request for confirmation.
In an effort to staunch the flow of tens of thousands of migrants from Central America and Mexico arriving at the southern boundary every month.