Should adults that are illegally attempting to cross the U.S. border be separated from their children?

In May 2018, the Trump administration implemented a “zero-tolerance” immigration policy which charged adults with a crime for crossing into the U.S. Under the policy all adults who crossed the border with children would be arrested, separated from their children and referred to the U.S. Justice Department for prosecution. Adults would be detained and allowed to apply for asylum but would be separated from their children during the process. U.S. immigration laws state that crossing the border without authorization is a misdemeanor for first offenses. Before the “zero-tolera…  nce” policy was implemented immigration families were released together while the government processed their asylum cases. In June 2018 President Trump signed an executive order ending the “zero-tolerance” policy and instructed immigration officials to keep families together. Proponents of the policy argue that separating children from their parents will discourage other families from attempting to cross the border and deter future migrants. Opponents of the policy argue that is inhumane to separate migrant children from their parents and makes it harder for the government to grant children asylum.