The Trump administration says that it takes longer to reunite migrant families

LOS ANGELES – The Trump administration has asked for more time from a federal judge to reunite families separated by immigration authorities at the southwestern border, highlighting the challenge of connecting parents and parents. children separated thousands of miles away

In a petition filed in the San Diego Federal Court, the Department of Justice declared that it had devoted "huge" resources to the reunification of parents and children since June 26, when the judge imposed However, he said that it took more time to "reunite families safely". The Department of Health and Social Services, which is responsible for children in shelters across the country, According to the government, the procedures must take a long time,

The disclosure that the authorities may not be in able to respect. Alex Azar, the secretary for health and social services, yesterday contradicted last week's badurances, saying the agency would be able to meet the court's deadlines despite a number of logistical problems. "H.H.S. is executing our very mission with the constraints imposed by the courts," he said during a conference call with reporters Thursday.

Last week, Judge Dana M. Sabraw gave the government on July 10 to reunite younger children with a parent. He has set the deadline for older children to 26 July.

The government's request was to be reviewed at a status conference that the judge convened Friday afternoon with government lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union. the separation of families as part of the increased measures taken by the administration against illegal immigration.

" The government does not wish to unnecessarily delay reunification or impose a burden on the members of the group". "At the same time, however, it is in the government's interest that any handover of a child into the custody of the government be done in a manner that ensures the safety of that child."

He proposes an "alternative timetable" that

Other parts of the judge's decision are already respected, the government said: Families are no longer separated at the border, and arrangements have been made for children and parents to communicate with them. According to the government, the DNA test is used to respect the judge's timetable, but he notes that the deadline imposed by the court could be difficult to meet. because of the complexity of some cases.

"HHS works diligently to minimize the burden of confirming filiation and speeds up DNA verification," said the government, adding, "This process takes time, even when it is accelerated. "

Azar said on Thursday that nearly 3,000 children were in federal custody as a result of family separations designed to discourage illegal immigration and that a hundred and fifty year olds were in prison. between them were under 5 years old. missing, according to some of those working on reunifications, leaving the authorities scrambling to confirm connections between family members.

million. Azar said agency officials were fighting the effects of past policies and court decisions that prevented migrant families from being detained for long periods of time.

"Any confusion is due to a broken immigration system and court orders" Azar said. The government said in its petition that reunification occurred more quickly when parents were still in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement rather than after their release.

He also asked the judge to clarify whether the court's reunification order applies to parents who have been deported. According to some reports, some migrants agreed to be deported quickly, believing that it would speed up the recovery of their children – only to board a plane and realize that their child would be abandoned.

Other problems occurred because parents and children so widely separated. Many children have been sent to institutions thousands of miles away from their parents, and some are too young or afraid to provide accurate information about their parents or their trip.