McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Latest on the separation of immigrant children from their parents following President Donald Trump’s order allowing them to remain with their parents (all times local):
5:15 a.m.
A 7-year-old boy and his migrant mother who had been separated have been reunited after she sued in federal court and the Justice Department agreed to release the child.
The two were reunited at about 2:30 a.m. Friday at Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Maryland, hours after a Justice Department lawyer told a U.S. District Court judge the child would be released.
The mother, Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia, had filed for political asylum after crossing the border with her son, Darwin, following a trek from Guatemala. She said she started crying when the two were reunited and that she’s never going to be away from him again.
Darwin said he was content and happy with the reunion.
The mother and son were to travel to Texas, where they will live while her asylum claim is being decided.
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2:25 a.m.
Immigration enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border was plunged deeper into chaos over President Donald Trump’s reversal of a policy separating immigrant children from parents.
A senior Trump administration official says about 500 of the more than 2,300 children separated from their families at the border have been reunited since May. It was unclear how many of the children were still being detained with their families.
The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
In the Texas border city of McAllen, federal prosecutors unexpectedly did not pursue charges against 17 immigrants. One said “there was no prosecution sought” in light of Trump’s executive order ending the practice of separating families.
But the president showed no sign of softening in public remarks.
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