President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Republican lawmakers in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, June 26, 2018, in Washington. (Photo by EVAN VUCCI / AP)
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department says a judge’s order to reunite families separated at the border “makes it even more imperative” that Congress pass immigration legislation that would enable it “to simultaneously enforce the law and keep families together.”
Otherwise, the administration says, “lawlessness at the border will continue.”
On Tuesday, a judge in California ordered US border authorities to reunite separated families within 30 days. If the children are younger than 5, they must be reunited with their families within 14 days of the order.
The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy on illegal border crossings resulted in some 2,000 children separated from their families so the adults could be detained. It’s unclear how legislation might enable him to continue his policy without separating families or placing children in jail-like settings.