[h=1]Clock ticks toward reuniting families separated at border
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration faced a court-imposed deadline Thursday to reunite thousands of children and parents who were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, an enormous logistical task brought on by its “zero tolerance” policy on illegal entry. [/h]Authorities have identified 2,551 children 5 and older who may be covered by the order to be reunited with their parents by Thursday’s court-imposed deadline. That effort was expected to fall short, partly because hundreds of parents may have already been deported without their children.
But, by focusing only those deemed by the government to be “eligible” for reunification, authorities expected claim success.
As of Tuesday, there were 1,012 parents reunified with their children in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Hundreds more had been cleared and were just waiting on transportation.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told members of Congress on Wednesday that the administration was “on track” to meet the deadline, an assertion that was greeted with disbelief and anger by the all-Democrat Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to people who attended. Nielsen declined to comment to reporters as she left the closed-door meeting.
https://www.apnews.com/3e7566800deb4aa9b77486c893aa4cfd
