DHS secretary says Biden admin cannot guarantee permanent residency in US for families separated by Trump

• DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas spoke to MSNBC about families separated by the Trump administration.
• He said that the administration cannot guarantee a path to permanent residency for reunited families.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told MSNBC on Thursday that the Biden administration cannot guarantee a path to permanent residency for families separated by the Trump administration.

"We are very much focused on providing stability, but it is not something that we can guarantee at this point in time," he said in response to a question about whether families reunited under the Biden administration's task force could stay in the US permanently.

"Reunite the family, and then let's work together with those representing the family to see what we can achieve under the law," Mayorkas said.

In March, Mayorkas said that the administration would "explore lawful pathways for them to remain in the United States," but did not elaborate.

The families that were forcibly separated by the last administration had sought asylum after crossing the US-Mexico border. Children were taken from their parents as part of an effort to discourage more Central Americans from exercising that legal right.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration's task force reunited four such families who were separated by the previous White House - out of more than 1,000. The families currently enjoy temporary protected status.

"We continue to work tirelessly to reunite many more children with their parents in the weeks and months ahead," Mayorkas said earlier this week. "We have a lot of work still to do, but I am proud of the progress we have made and the reunifications that we have helped to achieve this week."