Less than Half of Child Reunions Will Meet Deadline, ACLU Claims

The Trump administration will—in about half of the cases—miss its court-ordered Tuesday deadline to reunite young children who were separated from their families at the U.S. border, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The administration reportedly gave the ACLU a list of 102 children under 5 years old, but the list shows that “less than half will be reunited” by the deadline. The Justice Department claimed on Monday that the administration has “worked tirelessly” over the weekend to “promptly [reunify] families while ensuring the safety of the children.” The DOJ has reportedly asked U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw for more time, and he said he would consider certain exceptions, according to the Associated Press. “It’s extremely disappointing that the Trump administration looks like it will fail to reunite even half the children under 5 with their parent,” ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt told the AP. “These kids have already suffered so much because of this policy, and every extra day apart just adds to that pain.”