U.S. to reunify some, but not all, toddlers and parents

At least 54 immigrant children under age 5 are expected to return to their parents Tuesday in response to a court-ordered deadline to reunify families separated after crossing into the United States illegally. Those children represent only about half of the 100 or so toddlers covered by the court order. A Justice Department lawyer acknowledged this week that the government would not meet the deadline for all of the children, citing a variety of reasons. In some cases, the U.S. government already has deported the parents.

U.S. immigration authorities separated between 2,000 and 3,000 illegal immigrant families this spring before the Trump administration on June 20 stopped enforcing its policy of detaining parents and children separately. Late last month, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego set a 14-day deadline to reunite children under 5 with their parents and a 30-day deadline for older children. The 30-day deadline is July 26.

Meanwhile, a federal appeals court on Monday denied the government’s request to detain parents and their children together. Instead, they will be set free in the United States pending the outcome of their immigration cases, which can take several years.