US can’t count or track all separated immigrant children, but it’s thousands more than reported

The ABA Journal reports that the number of separated immigrant children is far greater than the amount revealed in a court-ordered review, according to a report released Thursday by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS has so far identified 2,737 children transferred to its care by immigration authorities in response to a court order in Ms. L v. Ice, the class action lawsuit that obtained family reunification.

But thousands of children might have been separated from their parents and guardians during an influx of immigrants that began in 2017 before the court-required accounting, the report says. The Washington Post, Politico, CNN and the New York Times have coverage.

KJ