Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Government Given Six Month Deadline To Locate Thousands Of Children Who Were Separated At Border
The New York Times: Judge Gives U.S. 6 Months To Account For Thousands More Separated Migrant Families
A federal judge on Thursday gave the Trump administration six months to locate thousands more children and parents who were potentially separated at the southern border under a policy intended to deter illegal immigration. Early this year, it came to light that many more children most likely had been forcibly separated from their parents even before a border-enforcement policy known as zero tolerance was officially unveiled in the spring of 2018. Under the policy, nearly all adults who entered the country illegally faced criminal prosecution, and any children accompanying them were placed in shelters or foster care. They often ended up hundreds or thousands of miles apart for weeks or longer. (Jordan, 4/25)
Reuters: Judge Gives U.S. Six Months To Identify Separated Migrant Children
"I am going to issue an order to do this in six months, subject to good cause," said U.S. Judge Dana Sabraw at a hearing in San Diego. "It is important for all government actors to have a time frame and I intend to stand on it." The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought a class action lawsuit on behalf of parents separated from their children, pressed Sabraw to give the government a firm deadline. (Hals, 4/25)
In separate immigration news —
Stat: Visa Ordeal Separates Iranian Scientist From His Family. Is It Worth It?
Since then, the Trump administration has explicitly allowed Iranian researchers like [Soheil] Saeedi to enter the country with their families to work or study. But many say their papers are held up for so long that they’re forced to put jobs and marriages on hold, leaving them suspended in uncertainty. What seemed like a routine visa renewal for Saeedi’s wife, Khatereh Shabanian, has turned into an ordeal lasting the better part of a year — a scenario that immigration lawyers are all too familiar with. Their inboxes are filled with similar stories, and they say that the delays in background checks are only increasing. (Boodman, 4/26)
