--- title: John Kelly: DHS May Separate Immigrant Children From Parents description: DHS Sec. John Kelly is considering an initiative that would separate immigrant children from their parents if they enter the U.S. illegally canonical: https://time.com/4692899/homeland-security-john-kelly-separate-children-parents-immigration/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-06T23:39:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T03:41:50.576Z article:section: Politics og:title: Homeland Security Head Considering Separating Immigrant Children From Parents og:description: "They will be well cared for as we deal with their parents" og:url: https://time.com/4692899/homeland-security-john-kelly-separate-children-parents-immigration/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd369121d0502f52c/6988bd418fd2ee1fd13560d2/john-kelly-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: John Kelly Discusses Operational Implementation Of Trump Immigration Ban og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Homeland Security Head Considering Separating Immigrant Children From Parents twitter:description: "They will be well cared for as we deal with their parents" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd369121d0502f52c/6988bd418fd2ee1fd13560d2/john-kelly-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Homeland Security Chief Says He's Considering Separating Immigrant Children From Parents by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Mar 6, 2017 11:39 PM UTC  Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly answers questions during a press conference related to President Donald Trump's recent executive order concerning travel and refugees, January 31, 2017 in Washington, DC. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly answers questions during a press conference related to President Donald Trump's recent executive order concerning travel and refugees, January 31, 2017 in Washington, DC.Drew Angerer—Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Mar 6, 2017 11:39 PM UTC Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly confirmed he is considering an initiative that would separate immigrant children from their parents if they [enter the U.S. illegally](http://time.com/4679883/immigration-donald-trump-deportations/). During an interview with [CNN’s Wolf Blitzer](https://twitter.com/CNNSitRoom/status/838877868453064704), Kelly said he would do “almost anything to deter the people from Central America to getting on this very, very dangerous network that brings them up through Mexico and to the United States.” When pressed by Blitzer about whether DHS personnel would separate undocumented immigrant children from their parents, Kelly confirmed he was considering such protocol. “Yes, I am considering, in order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network, I am considering exactly that,” he said. “They will be well cared for as we deal with their parents.” > [](https://twitter.com/CNNSitRoom/status/838877868453064704) Reuters [reported](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-children-idUSKBN16A2ES) on Saturday that the DHS policy under consideration would permit the government to hold parents in custody and put children in protective custody until they can be put in the care of a U.S. relative or a state-sponsored guardian. 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