Sfdebris.net

The Trump administration, in its continued immigration crackdown, has arrested more than 40 people who came forward to help undocumented migrant children, in a move that is sparking alarm among advocates.

Parents, relatives and friends of children in federal custody can apply to become sponsors and take in minor detainees from government shelters – but authorities are now using their information to pursue and deport such would-be caretakers when they are themselves undocumented immigrants, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) official told Congress this week.

“We’ve arrested 41 individuals thus far,” Matthew Albence, Ice’s acting deputy director, said at a Senate committee hearing. “Our data that we’ve received thus far indicates close to 80% of the individuals that are either sponsors or household members of sponsors are here in the country illegally, and a large chunk of those are criminal aliens. So we will continue to pursue those individuals.”

The arrests came after the federal government in June required all adults living in a home where a migrant child will live to submit their fingerprints to Ice.