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US considering breaking up families to deter illegal migration

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WASHINGTON: The United States is considering separating immigrant children from their parents in a bid to deter illegal migration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly said.

Mr Kelly, in an interview with CNN, was asked whether DHS was weighing up an initiative that would split children from their parents if they were caught trying to enter the US illegally.

"I would do almost anything to deter the people from Central America to getting on this very dangerous network that brings them up through Mexico into the United States. We have tremendous experience in dealing with unaccompanied minors."

He noted the DHS turns them over to the Health and Human Services department, which puts the children in foster care or links them with parents or family members in the United States. - AFP

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