A new wave of family separation is happening out of sight. We are witnessing more and more children who have been living in the U.S. being detained and classified as unaccompanied children: even when they have family that could care for them.

After 11-year-old Andrés was forcibly separated from his father, he spent three months in government custody despite having a stepmother who could care for him. Feeling like he had no other option, he chose to self-deport to Venezuela to reunite with his biological mother. But the government didn't alert his mother of the day or time of his arrival, leaving him stranded on the side of the road until his mother could find him.

Children are safest in their communities and with their families. This tactic has never been about keeping children safe: it is simply another ploy to deport children as quickly as possible, with little to no regard for their well-being.

Article originally appeared in @motherjonesmag