Trump Administration Will Miss Deadline To Reunite Migrant Kids Under 5 With Parents

Of the nearly 3,000 migrant minors who were separated from their parents and placed in federal custody, the Trump administration says at least 102 are under 5 years old. And for several weeks, administration officials have been under a court-ordered deadline: Reunite those young children with their parents, and do it quickly.

Now, one day before a Tuesday deadline, the administration says authorities expect to return just over half of the kids — but that they will need more time to figure out the rest. On Monday, Justice Department attorney Sarah Fabian told a federal court in San Diego that at least 54 children — and as many as 59 — will be reunited with their families in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In recent days, at least two children under 5 years old have been returned to their families.