ICE is requiring interviews for parents looking to reunite with children who entered U.S. alone

The Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of Health and Human Services, issued the directive, said the goal is to ensure that sponsors — usually a parent or guardian — are properly vetted.

McALLEN, Texas — President Donald Trump's administration has started requiring parents looking to reunite with their children who crossed into the U.S. alone to show up for interviews where immigration officers may question them, according to a policy memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Legal advocacy groups say the shift has led to the arrest of some parents, while their children remain in U.S. custody. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not confirm that or answer questions about the July 9 directive, instead referring in a statement to the Biden administration's struggles to properly vet and monitor homes where children were placed.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and which takes custody of children who cross the border without a parent or legal guardian, issued the directive. The agency said the goal is to ensure that sponsors — usually a parent or guardian — are properly vetted.

The memo said sponsors must now appear in person for identification verification. Previously, sponsors could submit identity documents online. The directive also says "federal law enforcement agencies may be present to meet their own mission objectives, which may include interviewing sponsors."

Neha Desai, managing director of human rights at the National Center for Youth Law, said the change provides U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a "built-in opportunity" to arrest parents — something she said has already happened.