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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
José Olivares in New York

Unaccompanied children being pressed to return to their countries by US border officials

people walk towards law enforcement near two vans by a high wall
Immigrants turn themselves in to US Customs and Border Protection in Ruby, Arizona, on 5 January. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Border officials are pressuring unaccompanied children who arrive in the US as undocumented immigrants to quickly agree to return to their countries of origin, even if they express fear for their safety there – or else face “prolonged” detention and other consequences, a federal government document reveals.

The document, which emerged as an attachment in a court filing made by immigration attorneys, is understood to be presented or read to children within the first few days of them entering the US while they are still in the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), before they can see any relatives in the US.

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