{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cruz-demands-answers-about-biden-administrations-use-of-family-reunification-program", "Cruz Demands Answers About Biden Administration\u2019s Use of Family Reunification Program", "2022-05-24", "2022", "2022-05", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", "cruz", "https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has written a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers about President Joe Biden\u2019s Family Reunification Task Force (FRTF).\n\nAs one of his first acts, President Joe Biden ordered the formation of the FRTF, which works to reunite minors with their families if they are separated while trying to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. This is due to differences in the rules governing how long U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can legally hold minors versus adults.\n\nSenator Cruz wrote to Secretary Mayorkas about how DHS is using its \u201ctemporary parole authority,\u201d which grants temporary permission for family members to enter and legally remain in the U.S. in order to reunite with separated minors. The FRTF\u2019s website says that DHS works to reunite children with \u201chousehold members,\u201d which Senator Cruz wrote \u201cwould seem to indicate that a broader pool of persons related to an applicant may be eligible for reunification.\u201d\n\nSenator Cruz wrote:\n\nIt is unclear if standard vetting processes are applied in such cases where presumably, some, or perhaps many, of these household members reunified in the U.S. were previously expelled for illegally crossing the border in contradiction of federal criminal law. Generally, such persons would be barred from re-entry to the U.S. for a period ranging anywhere from 5 up to 20 years.\n\nSenator Cruz demanded answers to a series of questions about how DHS is executing this program, including how FRTF defines \u201chousehold,\u201d how FRTF vets household members to be reunified in the U.S., and whether FRTF is giving legal status to individuals who previously tried to illegally cross the border.\n\nRead the letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T02:29:07Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cruz-demands-answers-about-biden-administrations-use-of-family-reunification-program"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9091239664703608, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}