Kristi Noem says kids of migrants 'have the option' to not cross US border 'illegally'
WORLD | The CBS host then asked Noem if her department has any plans to "revive" the US policy of separating the illegally migrating families at the border.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that children of migrants have an "option" not to illegally cross the US border. Noem made the comment at the CBS News programme "Face the Nation" when the host Margaret Brennan asked her how she felt about the Trump administration placing undocumented families in detention centres.
“Remember, everybody has an option,” Noem replied.
“They have an option to be here legally or illegally, and they can self-deport as well," she added.
Brennan then tried to interefere and said that those kids "don't have a choice in this", but Noem kept saying, “Well, the kids do have a choice."
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“If they have parents, they make a choice to keep their families together, if they want to or not," she further said.
“If parents make a decision to leave their children behind, then that’s a choice that they made as a family," Noem added.
The CBS host then asked Noem if her department has any plans to "revive" the US policy of separating the illegally migrating families at the border.
“I don’t know that we’re actually reviving it,” Noem said before blaming the former US president Joe Biden.
“Biden didn’t follow the law ... he made decisions to ignore federal law in how he handled immigration and enforcement within our borders," Noem said.
“If you break our law, then there’s going to be consequences,” she added.
(With inputs from agencies)
