Gonzales says there 'possibly' needs to be limits on detaining children

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said Sunday that there “possibly” needs to be limits when it comes to the detention of immigrant children.

“We do see, though, in the courts that the Trump administration is trying to do away with limits on child detention. One of ICE's only family detention facilities is in your district in Texas. And you did vote for the one 'big, beautiful bill,'" CBS News’s Margaret Brennan said on “Face the Nation.”

“And it includes a provision that allows families with children to be held indefinitely, which contradicts that long-standing precedent of putting a 20-day limit on detaining children. Do you think that needs to be changed in future legislation? Should there be limits on detaining kids?” Brennan asked.

“Possibly. I mean, the legislative piece is a much more long road,” Gonzalez replied. “What I've seen under both the Biden administration and the Trump administration is that it's ... a delicate balance, right? How do you keep families together? How do you make sure that there — there is coordination to what — to what country they're going to?”

In the first few months of his second term, President Trump’s administration has intensely cracked down on immigration. 

Earlier this year, the Trump administration resumed family detention of immigrants, according to a legal nonprofit, rekindling a controversial practice mostly reduced under the Biden administration.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also recently eliminated the age cap for new hires, letting those older than 40 become a part of its deportation force.

“We are ENDING the age cap for ICE law enforcement,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on the social platform X. “Qualified candidates can now apply with no age limit.”