Children at the border. (photo: AP)
22 November 18
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Trump administration has spent more than $80 million in the past year
to house, care for and reunite thousands of migrant children separated
from their parents at the southern border as a result of the “zero
tolerance” policy.
The figures were revealed in a report to Congress from
the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week and
obtained by The Hill.
The numbers are expected to grow, as 140 children have
yet to be reunited with their parents and remain in HHS custody. Among
them are 117 children whose parents have already been deported.
The parents of 30 of the children have been declared ineligible for reunification based on their criminal histories, HHS said.
The report was required to be submitted as part of a
recently passed government funding bill and is the first time the Trump
administration has officially disclosed to lawmakers how much money its
“zero tolerance” policy has cost taxpayers.
According to HHS, a total of 2,667 children were
separated from their parents and placed into agency custody for an
average of 83 days per child.
Shelter costs for those children, including food and
education, cost a total of nearly $59 million, the agency said. The rest
of the cost included medical care, legal fees and program support.
HHS said 92 percent of all children who had been
separated have already been reunified or discharged to sponsors —
relatives or family friends who applied to sponsor them.
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