The Trump administration said it had reunited all eligible migrant children under 5 with their parents by Thursday, but dozens remain separated because of safety concerns.
Of the 103 children removed from their parents at the border because of the White House’s immigration policy, 57 had been returned to their parents.
The other 46 children were determined not eligible for reunification.
In 22 cases, the children were not reunited because adults posed safety concerns, including having criminal histories or adults determined to not be a parent.
Another two dozen were held because of problems with a parent, including 12 who were deported, nine in the custody of the US Marshals Service, two in state jails and one who cannot be located.
“Throughout the reunification process, our goal has been the well-being of the children and returning them to a safe environment,” according to a statement from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Justice. “Of course, there remains a tremendous amount of hard work and similar obstacles facing our teams in reuniting the remaining families.
“The Trump administration does not approach this mission lightly.”
The agencies were working under a court mandate to reunite the children separated between early May and June 20, when President Trump signed an executive order stopping the separations while allowing the “zero tolerance” enforcement approach for migrants crossing the border illegally.
US District Judge Dana Sabraw ordered the children reunited with their parents after the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit.
She set a Tuesday deadline for children under 5 to be reunified and July 26 for the older children.
The government said “under 3,000” children were removed from their parents while the policy was in effect.
“If the government has in fact reunified 57 kids because of the lawsuit, we are thrilled for those families,” the ACLU said in a statement. “But make NO mistake: the Trump administration missed the deadline, even for those 57 kids. We will be recommending remedies for the non-compliance.”