Judge bars separation of immigrants from children, orders reunification

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A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that US immigration agents could no longer separate immigrant parents and children caught crossing the border from Mexico illegally, and must work to reunite those families that had been split up in custody.

United States District Court Judge Dana Sabraw granted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed over the family separations.

More than 2,300 migrant children were separated from their parents after US President Donald Trump's administration began a "zero tolerance" policy in early May, seeking to prosecute all adults who crossed the border illegally, including those traveling with children.

"The facts set forth before the court portray reactive governance responses to address a chaotic circumstance of the government's own making," Sabraw wrote. "They belie measured and ordered governance, which is central to the concept of due process enshrined in our Constitution."

Sabraw ordered the government to reunite parents with their children younger than five years old within 14 days of the order, and children aged five or older within 30 days of the order.

Source(s): Reuters