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A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 7 december 2018
Family separations at border down, but dozens still affected

By COLLEEN LONG turned to their prior levels."
Associated Press At its height over the sum-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The mer, more than 2,400 chil-
Trump administration sepa- dren were separated. The
rated 81 migrant children practice sparked global
from their families at the outrage from politicians,
U.S.-Mexico border since humanitarians and reli-
the June executive order gious groups who called it
that stopped the general cruel and callous. Images
practice amid a crack- of weeping children and
down on illegal crossings, anguished, confused par-
according to government ents were splashed across
data obtained by The As- newspapers and television.
sociated Press. A federal judge hearing a
Despite the order and a lawsuit brought by a moth-
federal judge's later ruling, er who had been sepa-
immigration officials are al- rated from her child barred
lowed to separate a child further separations and or-
from a parent in certain dered the government to
cases — serious criminal reunite the families.
charges against a parent, But the judge, Dana Sa-
concerns over the health braw, left the caveats in
and welfare of a child or place and gave the option
medical concerns. Those Migrants traveling with children walk up a hill to a waiting U.S. Border Patrol agent just inside San to challenge further sepa-
Ysidro, Calif., after climbing over the border wall from Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, Monday, Dec.
caveats were in place be- 3, 2018. rations on an individual
fore the zero-tolerance Associated Press basis. American Civil Liber-
ties Union attorney Lee Gel-
policy that prompted the ernt, who sued on behalf of
earlier separations at the the mother, said he hoped
border. the judge would order the
The government decides government to alert them
whether a child fits into the to any new separations,
areas of concern, worry- because right now the at-
ing advocates of the fami- torneys don't know about
lies and immigrant rights them and therefore can't
groups that are afraid par- challenge them.
ents are being falsely la- "We are very concerned
beled as criminals. the government may be
From June 21, the day after separating families based
President Donald Trump's on vague allegations of
order, through Tuesday, criminal history," Gelernt
76 adults were separated said.
from the children, accord- According to the govern-
ing to the data. Of those, ment data, from April 19
51 were criminally pros- through Sept. 30, 170 fam-
ecuted — 31 with criminal ily units were separated
histories and 20 for other, because they were found
unspecified reasons, ac- to not be related — that in-
cording to the data. Nine cluded 197 adults and 139
were hospitalized, 10 had minors. That could also in-
gang affiliations and four clude grandparents or oth-
had extraditable warrants, er relatives if there was no
according to the immigra- proof of relationship. Many
tion data. Two were sepa- people fleeing poverty or
rated because of prior im- violence leave their homes
migration violations and or- in a rush and don't have
ders of removal, according birth certificates or formal
to the data. documents with them.
"The welfare of children in Other separations were
our custody is paramount," because the children
said Katie Waldman, a were not minors, the data
spokeswoman for the De- showed.
partment of Homeland Se- During the budget year
curity, which oversees U.S. 2017, which began in Oc-
immigration enforcement. tober 2016 and ended
"As we have already said in September 2017, 1,065
— and the numbers show: family units were separat-
Separations are rare. While ed, which usually means
there was a brief increase a child and a parent — 46
during zero tolerance as due to fraud and 1,019 due
more adults were prosecut- to medical or security con-
ed, the numbers have re- cerns, according to data.q