ACLU Seeks Remedies For Trump Administration’s Failure to Meet Family Reunification Deadline
SAN DIEGO — Given the Trump administration’s failure to comply with the July 10 reunification deadline for children under 5, the American Civil Liberties Union today asked a federal court to order the government to:
- Hand over detailed data about all remaining children who need to be reunited with their parents.
- Create a fund to pay for professional mental health counseling to treat children who are suffering from severe trauma as a result of the forcible separation from their parents.
- Reimburse families for reunification travel costs and/or DNA testing.
- Adhere to an even stricter regimen of progress reports with the court.
The ACLU won a June 26 preliminary injunction requiring reunification of children under 5 within 14 days (July 10), and all children within 30 days (July 26).
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw will hold a status conference tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.
Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said:
“There is no excuse for the Trump administration’s missed deadline. Children are suffering because of it. The government must get these families back together.”
The filing is here: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/ms-l-v-ice-joint-status-report
Case details are here: https://www.aclu.org/cases/ms-l-v-ice
Ms. L v. ICE
SETTLEMENT UPDATE: Dec.1, 2023 Here are links to the proposed family separation settlement and Notice of Rights in English and Spanish. The Notice of Rights explains the settlement and next steps to seek final approval of the settlement, including the opportunity to object: Settlement Document: https://wp.api.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2023.12.01-Exhibit-Amended-Settlement-1.pdf Notice (English): https://www.aclu.org/documents/ms-l-v-ice-notice-english Notice (Spanish): https://www.aclu.org/documents/ms-l-v-ice-notice-spanish
Source: American Civil Liberties Union
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