Over 100,000 families are estimated to have fled violence from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in over a year. Arrivals of DHS-designated "family units," children accompanied by a parent, spiked in addition to the widely publicized surge in lone children arriving to the United States from homelands torn by crime and threats of persecution.
DHS spokeswoman Marsha Catron did not comment on possible ICE operations, but upheld DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson’s policy toward illegal immigration.
"Our border is not open to illegal immigration, and if individuals come here illegally, do not qualify for asylum or other relief, and have final orders of removal, they will be sent back consistent with our laws and our values," Catron said.
The publication cited DHS officials estimating over 1,700 people are housed in two family detention centers in Texas and one in Pennsylvania. These migrants, including those who never appeared at immigration court or whose asylum applications were rejected in absentia, are expected to be targeted by the ICE raids.
The presidential campaign trail is engaged in heated debate over illegal immigration, with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump proposing to construct a wall on the US-Mexican border to prevent illegal arrivals.
