LOS ANGELES: A US judge on Monday gave the government more time to reunite migrant children aged five or younger with their parents separated as a consequence of a “zero tolerance” policy, US media reported.
The decision came after a government lawyer said around half of the 102 young children could be placed back with their parents by the previously-given deadline of Tuesday.
They are among more than 2,300 children split up from their families as a consequence of the “zero tolerance” practice that saw their parents prosecuted for illegally crossing the border, even if they did so to seek asylum.
Many are fleeing gang violence and poverty in Central America.
Following domestic and global outcry over the separations, in which some children were kept in chain-link enclosures, Trump ended the practice on June 20.
But The New York Times reported late last week that, under pressure to reunite the families, authorities were struggling to connect them after records linking children to their parents disappeared and in some cases were destroyed, although not as part of a deliberate attempt to obfuscate.
At the hearing in San Diego, Judge Dana Sabraw gave the authorities extra time to determine which children will be back with their parents, as government lawyer Sarah Fabian said 54 of the youngsters could be returned to their parents by the Tuesday deadline, the US media reports said.
Sabraw previously ordered that thousands more children aged five and older should be reunited with their parents by July 26, but Monday’s hearing did not touch on their cases.
The government on Friday asked for an extension of the deadline, saying it needed more time to find and confirm the identities of the children and parents.
Despite the delays, the judge reportedly said he had seen “real progress and I’m optimistic that many of these families will be reunited tomorrow, and then we’ll have a very clear understanding as to who has not been reunited, why not, and what time-frame will be in place.”
During separation, parents were sent into federal custody while the children were taken by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and held at holding facilities often thousands of miles (kilometers) from their parents.
HHS admitted it had resorted to DNA testing on some of the children to try to match them with their parents.
In total, the authorities are holding around 11,800 minors who crossed the border illegally. Around 80 percent of them are teenagers who tried to make the crossing without their parents, HHS Secretary Alex Azar has said.
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US judge extends deadline for reuniting migrant children
US judge extends deadline for reuniting migrant children
- The government on Friday asked for an extension of the deadline, saying it needed more time to find and confirm the identities of the children and parents
- During separation, parents were sent into federal custody while the children were taken by the Department of Health and Human Services
US lawmakers urge ‘significant’ defense spending hike in Taiwan
- Taiwan has spent many billions of dollars upgrading its military in the past decade
- But faces growing US pressure to do more to protect itself against China
WASHINGTON: Dozens of lawmakers from the United States on Thursday urged Taiwan’s political parties to support “significant” defense spending increases, warning that the threat from China “has never been greater.”
Taiwan has spent many billions of dollars upgrading its military in the past decade, but faces growing US pressure to do more to protect itself against China, which claims the island is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has proposed $40 billion in extra defense spending over eight years, but the plan has been blocked by the opposition-controlled parliament 10 times since early December.
A letter dated February 12 and signed by 37 Republican and Democrat members of the Senate and House said the United States and Taiwan “must do more to deter PRC aggression,” referring to the People’s Republic of China.
China’s President “Xi Jinping is focusing every element of the PRC’s national power to control Taiwan,” the lawmakers said.
“Xi hopes to achieve this through illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions that undermine Taiwan’s will to resist,” they said, adding: “Xi remains willing to use military force to achieve his goal.”
While the United States “must address the massive backlog in weapons deliveries to Taiwan,” Taiwan also needed to “step up with us,” it said.
The letter was addressed to the leaders of Taiwan’s opposition parties, Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), as well as the KMT’s parliamentary speaker and Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) caucus whip.
The lawmakers praised Taiwan’s “important progress” in strengthening its defenses, but said “we fear that without significant increases in Taiwan’s defense spending at levels reflected in President Lai’s proposed special budget, this progress will be insufficient,” it said.
The United States has long been Taiwan’s most important backer and biggest arms provider, and the democratic island would be heavily reliant on US support in a potential conflict with China.
Xi has warned Washington against selling weapons to Taiwan.
Asked about the letter, KMT spokesman Niu Hsu-ting said the party would “respond appropriately” but insisted “we will absolutely not compromise on oversight of the budget.”
Lai told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that he was confident the defense budget would be passed.
“In a democratic society, every political party is ultimately accountable to the people,” said Lai, who belongs to the DPP.
The TPP caucus did a sudden U-turn earlier this week, agreeing to send the government’s version of the special defense spending bill to committee for joint review.
But KMT chairperson Cheng Li-wun has vowed that her party “will not relent.”
As well as the government’s version, lawmakers will also consider the TPP’s stripped-down version of the defense bill that allocates $12.6 billion for military purchases.
Taiwan has spent many billions of dollars upgrading its military in the past decade, but faces growing US pressure to do more to protect itself against China, which claims the island is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has proposed $40 billion in extra defense spending over eight years, but the plan has been blocked by the opposition-controlled parliament 10 times since early December.
A letter dated February 12 and signed by 37 Republican and Democrat members of the Senate and House said the United States and Taiwan “must do more to deter PRC aggression,” referring to the People’s Republic of China.
China’s President “Xi Jinping is focusing every element of the PRC’s national power to control Taiwan,” the lawmakers said.
“Xi hopes to achieve this through illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions that undermine Taiwan’s will to resist,” they said, adding: “Xi remains willing to use military force to achieve his goal.”
While the United States “must address the massive backlog in weapons deliveries to Taiwan,” Taiwan also needed to “step up with us,” it said.
The letter was addressed to the leaders of Taiwan’s opposition parties, Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), as well as the KMT’s parliamentary speaker and Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) caucus whip.
The lawmakers praised Taiwan’s “important progress” in strengthening its defenses, but said “we fear that without significant increases in Taiwan’s defense spending at levels reflected in President Lai’s proposed special budget, this progress will be insufficient,” it said.
The United States has long been Taiwan’s most important backer and biggest arms provider, and the democratic island would be heavily reliant on US support in a potential conflict with China.
Xi has warned Washington against selling weapons to Taiwan.
Asked about the letter, KMT spokesman Niu Hsu-ting said the party would “respond appropriately” but insisted “we will absolutely not compromise on oversight of the budget.”
Lai told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that he was confident the defense budget would be passed.
“In a democratic society, every political party is ultimately accountable to the people,” said Lai, who belongs to the DPP.
The TPP caucus did a sudden U-turn earlier this week, agreeing to send the government’s version of the special defense spending bill to committee for joint review.
But KMT chairperson Cheng Li-wun has vowed that her party “will not relent.”
As well as the government’s version, lawmakers will also consider the TPP’s stripped-down version of the defense bill that allocates $12.6 billion for military purchases.
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