UPDATE - Trump 'zero tolerance' policy dealt major blow: report

ADDS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DENIAL IN GRAFS 10-11; AMENDS GRAF 12 TO MATCH

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Trump administration will no longer require immediate court proceedings for undocumented adults who cross the U.S. border illegally with their children, according to a report issued Thursday.

An anonymous senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official told the Washington Post about the policy change on condition of anonymity.

The dramatic reversal, if confirmed, is a major blow to President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy which broke with previous administration by requiring all undocumented adults to be referred for criminal prosecution, regardless of whether they illegally cross the border with children.

The policy resulted in the controversial separation of families, but was stopped when Trump ordered Wednesday that families could remain united during criminal proceedings after days of seeking to shift responsibility for his actions on Congress and the Democratic Party.

Trump maintained in signing his executive order Wednesday that the "zero tolerance" policy would continue.

Now, however, it appears that undocumented adults with their children will no longer be immediately referred for criminal prosecution.

"We’re suspending prosecutions of adults who are members of family units until ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) can accelerate resource capability to allow us to maintain custody,” the official told the Washington Post.

At issue is ICE's lack of room to adequately house the increased number of people that Trump's order would bring to bear on their system, the newspaper reported.

The adults will continue to face misdemeanor charges, but will be allowed to go free while they await court proceedings.

The Justice Department, however, threw cold water on the Washington Post's report, saying the story "is not accurate.

"There has been no change to the Department’s zero tolerance policy to prosecute adults who cross our border illegally instead of claiming asylum at any port of entry at the border," spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement.

The White House did not immediately respond to Anadolu Agency's repeated requests for comment.