Washington • At the expiration of a court deadline to reunite migrant families separated during its “zero tolerance” border crackdown, the Trump administration said Thursday that it has delivered 1,442 children to parents detained in immigration custody, and is on track to return all of those deemed eligible for reunification.
But 711 children remain in government shelters because their parents have criminal records, their cases remain under review or the parents are no longer in the United States, officials said. The latter group includes 431 parents.
Chris Meekins with the Department of Health and Human Services, which has led the reunification effort, told reporters that “hundreds of staff have worked 24-7” to meet the court’s 30-day deadline.