The Trump administration wants to detain migrant families indefinitely

On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced that it wants to allow the indefinite detention of undocumented families that enter the United States, removing the agreement that «sets a 20-day limit for holding children» CNN reports.

The US Department of Homeland Security wants, through this decision, to ignore a 1997 court decision, called «Flores settlement», which forces authorities to release minor migrants after 20 days.

With this measure, the US administration would be free to send migrant families home without giving them the time to start their immigration files. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan announced that the measure would take effect 60 days after its official publication - scheduled for Friday, the same source added.

«The facilities that we will be using to temporarily house families under this rule are appropriately, fundamentally different than the facilities where migrants are processed following apprehension or encounter at the border», McAleenan added.

Democratic lawmakers in the United States criticized the new decision, including Democratic presidential contender Beto O'Rourke. The latter took to twitter saying that «the cruelty will only get worse».