House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Sunday the future of President Trump’s zero tolerance toward illegal immigration that resulted in family separations was in doubt, even though the Justice Department has said it will continue to prosecute all immigrants who enter illegally.
“I have heard recent reports now that that policy may be revisited and it may not go forward,” McCaul said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s very unclear how this executive order is playing out, but I’m not clear about now the prosecution of the parents. I think they want to reunite the family and then remove them from the country.”
Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order that ended the practice of taking children away from parents or guardians accused of entering the U.S. illegally following widespread condemnation.
[Related: Republicans predict judge will shoot down Trump’s order on family separation]
McCaul said the administration’s reversal had not sent “a consistent message” on the issue, but stopped short of saying officials had mismanaged the crisis at the border.
“I wouldn’t fault the administration on this, I would fault the United States Congress, who has the power to change the laws that will stop this from happening again and yet we can’t seem to get this done,” he continued.
McCaul deflected when pressed on whether the House would pass a narrow bill dealing with family separations should a more comprehensive package being authored by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., fail to win enough support among the caucus.
