Gene Hamilton, a top lawyer and ally of Stephen Miller, the architect of the president’s assault on immigration, argued in a 32-page response that Justice Department officials merely took direction from the president. Alexa Vance, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, disputed the draft report and said the Homeland Security Department referred cases for prosecution. “The draft report relied on for this article contains numerous factual errors and inaccuracies,” she said. One Texas prosecutor warned top Justice Department officials in 2018 that “sex offenders were released” as a result. Senior Justice Department officials viewed the welfare of the children as the responsibility of other agencies and their duty as tracking the parents.

Source: New York Times October 06, 2020 23:26 UTC