Principles to Guide Reunification, Relief, and Redress for Separated Families

During the Trump administration, the government engaged in the systematic separation of families coming to the United States. Although the government can never fully undo these harms, it has an obligation to reunify all separated families, end family separation, and to provide redress, relief, and engage meaningfully in efforts to repair the damage it inflicted. This documents contains a list of principles the Biden administration must include in efforts reunite families.

The Biden administration must: (1) find and reunify families in the United States; (2) provide for immediate protections from deportation and support a path to citizenship for separated families; (3) establish a commission and obtain funding for redress; (4) make systemic changes to ensure an end to family separations, including by ending family detention; (5) pursue accountability.