Reunification for Eligible Children

HHS Secretary Alex Azar, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reunification efforts for children under age 5 has been completed.

“Dedicated teams at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Justice have worked tirelessly. Our agencies’ careful vetting procedures helped prevent the reunification of children with an alleged murderer, an adult convicted of child cruelty, and adults determined not to be the parent of the child. Trump administration does not approach this mission lightly, and we intend to continue our good faith efforts to reunify families.”

“The American people gave this administration a mandate to end the lawlessness at the border, and #President Trump is keeping his promise to do exactly that. The message has been clear all along: Do not risk your own life or the life of your child by attempting to enter the United States illegally. Apply lawfully and wait your turn.”

“The American immigration system is the most generous in the world, but we are a nation of laws and we intend to continue enforcing those laws.”

There are 103 children under age 5 covered by the court case. Of the 103 children:

• 57 children have been reunified as of 7 a.m. EST on July 12.
• 46 children were acknowledged by the court to be ineligible for reunification or determined by HHS, DHS, and DOJ to be ineligible under court-approved criteria.

Of these 46:

• 22 children have been found ineligible due to safety concerns posed by the adults in question:
• 11 adults have a serious criminal history (charges or convictions for child cruelty, kidnapping, murder, human smuggling, domestic violence, etc.).
• 7 adults were determined not to be a parent.
• 1 adult had a falsified birth certificate (parentage is being examined).
• 1 adult was alleged to have abused the child.
• 1 adult planned to house the child with an adult charged with sexually abusing a child.
• 1 adult is being treated for a communicable disease.

• 24 children are not currently eligible for reunification due to circumstances of the adults in question:
• 12 adults have been deported and are being contacted.
• 9 adults are in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service for other offenses.
• 2 adults are in custody of state jails for other offenses.
• 1 adult’s location has been unknown for over a year.