EL PASO, Texas (AP) – The Trump administration is racing to meet a court-imposed deadline to reunite families who were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The enormous logistical task was brought on by the “zero tolerance” policy on illegal entry.
Authorities have identified more than 2,500 children 5 and older who may be covered by the order to reunite the families by Thursday’s court-imposed deadline.
That effort was expected to fall short, partly because hundreds of parents may have been deported without their children. But, by focusing only on about 1,600 it deems “eligible” for reunification, authorities expected to claim success.
As of Tuesday, slightly more than 1,000 parents were reunified with their children in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Hundreds more were cleared and awaiting transportation.
