The court-imposed deadline of July 26 for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reunite families separated at the southern border has passed. So far, over 1800 children have been released to their parents. However, the Trump administration has refused to reunite hundreds of others by excluding many families from the reunification process. It remains unclear how far the federal court will go to correct this and insist that all parents have an opportunity to see their children again.
Out of approximately 2,500 families separated in recent months, 1,442 children ages 5 to 17 have been reunited with their parents. Most have been released from government custody while their deportation process continues.
More than 700 children have not been reunited with a parent and remain in government custody.
