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May 20, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Parents of 391 children separated under Trump border policy yet to be found

Rebecca Falconer
A migrant girl looks at asylum seekers entering the United States at the San Ysidro crossing port in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, on May 10
A migrant girl looks at asylum seekers entering the United States at the San Ysidro crossing port in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, on May 1. Photo: Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

Attorneys working to reunite migrant families separated under the Trump administration are still seeking to reach the parents of 391 migrant children, according to a federal court filing Wednesday.

The big picture: President Biden has pledged to reunite separated families, but progress has been slow.

  • Officials have found the parents of 54 children since April, per the filing from from the Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union.

What they're saying: ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in an emailed statement that officials were "making steady progress finding families," but added "there is obviously still a long way to go."

  • "We are hopeful we will find every last family and that the pace will pick up as more on-the-ground searches are now possible given the availability of the vaccine," Lee Gelernt said.
  • "Additionally, we believe parents will come forward in greater numbers as they learn that the current president has offered to help them reunite with their children."
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