The U.S. government has missed a crucial deadline in the saga to reunite migrant children with their parents. CGTN's White House correspondent Jessica Stone has more.

Another court deadline missed, involving dozens of toddlers hoping to be reunited with their parents. The U.S. Justice Department says 102 immigrant children have been identified for reunification by Tuesday, but fewer than half will be back with their families by the end of the day.

The children were separated under the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, when the U.S. government says they and their parents crossed the U.S. Mexico border illegally. That includes seven toddlers in the care of Bethany Christian Services which tells CGTN "One hundred percent of children under the age of 5 who were separated during the 'zero tolerance' policy have been reunited with their parents or have travel arrangements for reunification". But the rest of the children are still waiting. U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the family separation crisis before departing for Brussels.

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "We have laws, we have orders. Don't come to our country illegally. It's not a good thing."

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of the children, does not expect the Trump administration to face any consequences.

LEE GELERNT, LAWYER AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION "I think we're a long way from the court saying, 'I'm going to sanction the government'. I think now he feels like the government is working good-faith finally working to get this reunification done. We're hoping that's right, and it moves forward."

According to court documents, the Trump administration says 27 children can't be reunited because the adults they came with aren't their parents, or have criminal records. A dozen more parents were deported without their children. All of them - posing quote "legitimate logistical impediments that render timely compliance impossible or excusable". Court documents also show the ACLU arguing that they "have no independent verification that these numbers are accurate or that there are not additional children under five who should be on the government's list".

JESSICA STONE WASHINGTON DC "In many ways, this latest court-imposed deadline to reunite families is a dress rehearsal for the return of children older than five to their parents. A U.S. judge has ordered that thousands of children must be returned to their families by July 26th. Jessica Stone, CGTN, Washington."