A San Diego federal judge Tuesday told attorneys for the U.S. Justice Dept that it must move faster. to reunite children taken from their parents who have been detained by immigration officials.
At the same timee the Trump administration told the judge that many separated families are not eligible for reunification.
The government did not meet a deadline set last week by San Diego U. S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw to reunite around 105 migrant children under the age of 5 with their parents by the end of the day Tuesday. Officials say a deadline yesterday was only partially fulfilled with 38 kids being reunited with their families.
Judge Sabraw said Tuesday's deadline and the July 26th deadline for reunifying the 3,000 other kids "are firm deadlines, not aspirational goals."
The government told Sabraw it would reunite more children under 5 once DNA testing and other checks were complete. The judge told the government attorneys he believed as many as 63 children could be released Tuesday, or soon afterward, if the government streamlined the process and worked harder to locate parents who were no longer detain.
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