NARA pushes agencies to respond to allegations documents for separated families were destroyed

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is looking into allegations that the Trump administration deleted records of immigrant families it separated at the southern border. 

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the agency on July 6 after The New York Times reported, citing two unnamed officials at the Department of Homeland Security, that records linking children to their parents have disappeared and in some cases been destroyed.

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NARA said in a response, which CREW shared this week, that it has sent letters to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services requesting a response to the allegations.

“NARA is requesting that CBP respond within 30 calendar days concerning these allegations and, to the extent an unauthorized disposal occurred, indicating the specific actions CBP will take to recover records and mitigate future unauthorized alterations or deletions of CBP records,” the letter said.

NARA spokeswoman Laura Diachenko told The Hill that the agency has opened a case “via formal correspondence in accordance with our standard practices for engaging with agencies when there are allegations of unauthorized disposition.” 

In a statement, CREW’s executive director, Noah Bookbinder, said it would be a blatant violation of the Federal Records Act if the Times report is true.

“We are glad NARA is taking this seriously, and look forward to seeing the results of their investigation,” he said.