July 24, 2018 / Modified jul 24, 2018 10:35 a.m.

Migrant Family Reunifications Continue As Deadline Nears

Court documents suggest the government will not make the July 26 deadline, according to an attorney.

Southwest Key kids Children seen on the grounds of the Southwest Key facility in Tucson, Arizona, July 7, 2018.
Nancy Montoya, AZPM

July 26 is the deadline for the federal government to finish reuniting migrant children with their parents, and court documents filed Thursday afternoon say there have been 364 reunifications of families with children age 5 and up.

Lawyers for the government wrote that they’re giving daily updates on reunifications to the American Civil Liberties Union. But lawyers for the ACLU wrote that they have not gotten critical information from the government.

The court documents suggest the government will not make the July 26 deadline, said Ray Ybarra Maldonado, an immigration attorney based in Phoenix.

“I think we’re going to look at some sanctions from the judge,” he said. “Perhaps holding them in contempt for not working hard enough to meet the hard deadlines.”

Lawyers for the ACLU and the U.S. government are due back in court Friday afternoon.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Fronteras Desk
This story is from the Fronteras Desk, a collaboration of Southwestern public radio stations, including NPR 89.1. Read more from the Fronteras Desk.
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