A complex reality

U.S. government officials last week said they met a court-mandated deadline to reunite migrant children under age 5 with their parents. But of the 103 young children held by the Department of Health and Human Services, officials could only return slightly more than half to their families.

The 46 children who were not reunited with their parents are arguably safer in government custody due to safety concerns, including adults with serious criminal convictions and histories of child abuse, according to a Department of Homeland Security statement. Seven adults were determined not to be the parent of the child in question, and 11 were in law enforcement custody for other offenses. In 12 cases, authorities already had convicted and deported the adults.

Among the young children returned during tearful reunions in Phoenix, some either didn’t recognize or didn’t want to go to their parents after the trauma of being separated, The New York Times reported.

The tots still being held by HHS are among about 3,000 total children taken when the Justice Department mandated criminal prosecution of all migrant adults crossing U.S. borders illegally, even when they also requested asylum.

DHS announced a four-step process of reunification of families after a U.S. district judge in California ordered last Tuesday’s reunification deadline.

Though President Donald Trump’s June 20 executive order has halted any further separation of minors from their parents, the administration continues to hold a form of “zero tolerance” immigration policy, prosecuting all adults entering the United States illegally. Detention is limited to 20 days. And since U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee refused to grant permission to the Justice Department to hold families in detention indefinitely while their cases are heard, officials said they are now using ankle monitors, which will help immigration officials track migrants released into the United States and ensure they appear in immigration court. DHS estimated 80,000 migrants now wear the devices.

In San Diego, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said he was “encouraged about the progress” made in reuniting children with their families after having called the separation policy chaotic last month.

The deadline for reuniting all children over 5 with a family member is July 26. —R.H.

Shared bikes in Washington, D.C. Associated Press/Photo by Jacquelyn Martin

Let them ride bikes

Dozens of cities are trying to catch up as bike- and scooter-sharing takes off. Shared vehicles work well for some low-income citizens who have regular transportation needs but can’t afford auto insurance or city parking.

Electric scooters travel 15 mph, putting more people on the roads and pressure on municipalities for bike lanes. But authorities worry about cement mixers mixing it up with tiny scooters. They also contend scores of bikes and scooters are clogging sidewalks and littering roadsides.

City governments in Denver, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Nashville, Tenn., have all had legal run-ins with start-up companies like Bird, Joyride, and LimeBike before regulations were clear.

Others, like Minneapolis, have quickly created licenses and established parking rules as soon as vehicle-sharing companies arrive.

Boston; Chicago; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; Washington, D.C.; and the greater San Francisco Bay Area offer subsidized access to bike share programs to those eligible for food stamps and other low-income riders. Earlier this year, the Boston-based Indego bike-sharing program said 10 percent of the nearly 2 million rides since its launch have been by low-income riders on public assistance. —R.H.

The urban spouseless, childless, and houseless

Millennials—21- to 37-year-olds—will soon outnumber other demographic subgroups, and they have the lowest rate of homeownership. A report by the Urban Institute said delayed marriage is one factor—marriage ups the rate of homeownership by 18 percent. Another factor is the drop in birth rate among millennials—only a quarter of their married households have kids. Financially speaking, they also can’t afford to own because of huge average debt levels due to education or lifestyle, and they tend to rent in pricy locations. —R.H.