Thread by @ACLU

Today the government submitted a new plan to locate the hundreds of parents whom it deported without their kids. We've negotiated with them on several fronts, but a huge issue remains 👇

The government is arguing that deported parents and children can only be reunited in their countries of origin.

This means that parents won't be able to resume asylum claims and children may have to forfeit theirs.

This is especially troubling as parents may have been misled or coerced into waiving asylum rights, believing that it would bring back their children faster.

No parent should lose their right to seek protection from persecution, torture, or death because they were forced to choose between getting their child back or pursuing an asylum case.

Children should not be left to navigate the US asylum system alone, bearing the weight of continued separation, because the government unlawfully deported their parents and doesn't want to bring them back.

One thing remains clear: These families should never have been separated in the first place, but the government did it anyway.

We'll be back in court tomorrow. #FamiliesBelongTogether