Agencies battling behind the scenes over carrying out Trump’s border policies: report

The Trump administration is divided over how to move forward on border protection, with officials from the Justice Department and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reportedly battling over how to carry out President Trump’s immigration orders, according to a New York Times report. 

The Times reported on Friday that the Justice Department is demanding that CBP prosecute all adults illegally crossing the border, maintaining the “zero tolerance” policy that led to over 2,000 migrant children being separated from their families since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced it in April. 

{mosads}

But CBP officials reportedly said in meetings this week that they do not have the resources to do so and aren’t going to be able to prosecute all adults with children now that Trump has also signed an executive order ending the practice of separating parents and children during the process, according to the Times.

Officials said they need more judges and more money for detention centers to put families in, according to the report.

The law also requires children not be detained indefinitely. 

Trump said as he signed the executive order that his administration’s zero tolerance policy would continue.

On Thursday, The Washington Post quoted a top CBP official who said the Trump administration will suspend prosecutions of migrant parents with children who have been apprehended at the border.

The Justice Department denied this, saying the stance on immigration has not changed.

“There has been no change to the Department’s zero tolerance policy to prosecute adults who cross our border illegally instead of claiming asylum at any port of entry at the border,” Justice spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said.

The U.S. is preparing to house up to 20,000 migrants on military bases in order to carry out Trump’s executive order, the Times reported on Thursday.