A southern Illinois congressman says the Trump administration policy of separating parents from children at the border is not new policy.
The Murphysboro republican says the Obama administration policy also carried out the practice.
Bost told the Belleville News Democrat this is occurring because the immigrant families have done something illegal.
"If we secure these borders and get things in place, that separation is not going to occur because it won't give the opportunity for that illegal act."
Bost says this situation plays out frequently during criminal activity in the U.S.
"If you were caught shoplifting at a local store, and you had children with you, while you were going through the process, you would be separated."
Despite Bost's claim that the Obama administration also carried out a similar policy, NPR says the zero tolerance policy is unique to the Trump administration. Some immigration experts say Obama-era policies did lead to some family separations, but only relatively rarely and nowhere near the rate of the Trump administration.
