U.S. Says It'll Return Immigrant Children Under 5 by Next Week
- Refugee agency isn’t sure how many were separated from parents
- DNA analysis required to confirm some family relationships
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The U.S. will return immigrant children under five who were separated from their parents after crossing the Mexican border by July 10 to comply with a court order, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday.
The agency is analyzing the DNA of some children in its custody and adults who claim to be their parents to verify a family relationship, Azar said. He said the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for detaining and caring for undocumented immigrant children apprehended by authorities, is not sure precisely how many kids came into its care as a result of the Border Patrol taking them from their families.