Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 16 July 2018

US judge criticizes plan to reunify families split at border

exclude DNA testing and time, he indicated he will
other steps it took to reunify be monitoring its actions
children under 5. ahead of the deadline.
The administration said The judge said the admin-
the abbreviated vetting istration must provide a list
puts children at significant of names of parents in im-
safety risk but is needed to migration custody and their
meet the deadline. children by Monday and
Chris Meekins, deputy as- complete background
sistant Health and Human checks for them by Thurs-
Services secretary for pre- day. He scheduled four
paredness and response, hearings over the next two
filed a declaration that he weeks for updates, includ-
is fully committed to meet- ing one on Monday.
ing the deadline. However, "The task is laborious, but
he does not believe "the can be accomplished in
placing of children into the time and manner pre-
such situations is consistent scribed," he wrote in his or-
with the mission of HHS or der.
my core values." Evelyn Stauffer, a spokes-
U.S. District Judge Dana woman for Health and
Sabraw took umbrage at Human Services, said the
Meekins' statement, disput- administration proposed
ing the official's interpreta- its plan "in the interests of
tion of his orders and say- transparency and coop-
ing that safe reunification eration" after concluding
could and will occur by that the abbreviated vet-
July 26. ting was necessary to make
"It is clear from Mr. Meekins's the deadline.
declaration that HHS either "Within the time the court
does not understand the allows, we will strive to
In this June 28, 2018 file photo, protesters chant "Families belong together!" as they walk to the
front doors of the federal courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, to bring attention to the U.S. immigration court's orders or is acting implement the most com-
policy. in defiance of them," the prehensive procedures
Associated Press. judge wrote late Friday. "At possible to ensure child
a minimum, it appears he is welfare," she said. "We look
By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associ- thoughts about his belief reunify more than 2,500 attempting to provide cov- forward to continuing our
ated Press that the Trump administra- children age 5 and older er to defendants for their close work with the court to
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A fed- tion was acting in good by a court-imposed dead- own conduct in the prac- accomplish the goals we
eral judge, responding to faith to comply with his or- line of July 26 using "trun- tice of family separation, share of safe, expeditious
a plan to reunify children ders. cated" procedures to verify and the lack of foresight reunification."q
separated at the border, The Justice Department parentage and perform and infrastructure neces-
said he was having second on Friday filed a plan to background checks, which sary to remedy the harms
caused by that practice."
Sabraw, an appointee of
President George W. Bush,
said Meekins' statement
calls into question his com-
ments in court hours earlier
that the administration was
acting in good faith.
Sabraw said in court Fri-
day that the administration
had largely complied with
orders but, at the same