The Biden administration is considering detaining migrant families who cross into the U.S. illegally as it prepares to end COVID-19 restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plans. That would be a major reversal after officials in late 2021 stopped holding families in detention facilities.
The U.S. has increasingly moved to restrict migrants as it faces growing numbers of people coming to the Mexico border seeking asylum. COVID-era restrictions have allowed U.S. immigration officials to quickly turn around most migrants, and during the height of the pandemic few families were being detained.
