The US government and immigrant rights advocates have reached a broad agreement on a new plan for the reunification of hundreds more immigrant families, separated by government officials after illegally crossing over the border from Mexico.
In a court filing on Thursday, lawyers for the US Department of Justice said the changes would ensure that there is an efficient process in place for reunification without the need for parents already deported from the US to return to the country. But, some American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawyers claim that some of the families could only be properly reunited if the parents were brought back to the US, and there has been a significant dispute over the perceived failure to address the immigrants’ rights.
The ACLU acknowledged that the dispute should not impede efforts to swiftly reunite the families and is in general agreement with the revised plan, including the stated provisions for locating and interviewing deported parents. The plan comes as part of the government’s second phase in its efforts to reunite 2,551 immigrant minors with their parents, following their separation under the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy, which is now rescinded.
San Diego-based US District Judge, Dana Sabraw, who must approve the plan before it can go ahead, ordered the reunifications on 26 June.