US expands curfews for asylum-seeking families to 13 cities as an alternative to detention
families while they wait for initial screenings after crossing the border, signaling they are comfortable with early results of what is intended as an alternative to detention. The curfews began in May in four cities and, on Friday, grow to 13 locations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told advocates.
The additions are Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, and San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose in California. New Orleans and Houston started July 28. The number of cities is expected to reach 40 by the end of September, according to a U.S.
official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The curfews, which run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
are designed to stay in effect until the outcome of screenings, known as «credible fear» interviews, by asylum officers and any appeal to an immigration judge. Those who pass are generally allowed to pursue their asylum cases in court without a curfew, while those who fail are supposed to be deported.ICE announced the curfews as pandemic-related asylum restrictions expired in May, part of a broader strategy that includes keeping single adults in Border Patrol custody until screenings are complete. Authorities considered reviving family detention but opted for curfews, which apply to heads of household and also require ankle monitors.
The expansion indicates ICE is comfortable with initial results of what it calls the Family Expedited Removal Management program, or FERM, in Baltimore; Chicago; Newark, New Jersey; and Washington. Denver and Minneapolis were added later. «While FERM initially began in four locations, (the Department of Homeland Security) is quickly expanding to cities across the country and is removing families
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