Back to Facts

View Original

By the Numbers: Family Separation at the Border

Edvin Cazun, right, and son Samuel of Guatemala reunite in Cincinnati on July 23, about a month after they were separated when they crossed the Rio Grande into the United States. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)

Number of children separated as a result of a zero tolerance policy for those who ask for asylum after entering NOT at an official port of entry:

2,551

Number of children reunited with their parents who had been in custody:

1,440

Number of children released to parents, family members or sponsors already in the U.S. or turned 18 while in custody:

380

Number of children who were deemed ineligible by the government, and on whom federal Judge Dana Sabraw requires a status report every Thursday until reunification or resolution:

650

Number of the ineligible who were already deported without their children:

431

Number of parents deemed ineligible due to a “prohibitive criminal record”:

64

Number of parents deemed ineligible due to a prohibitive criminal record whose children are under the age of 5:

11

Number of parents the ACLU says may have waived their right to reunification in error:

120

Number of parents who were released into the interior of the U.S. without their children and cannot be located:

52

Number of parents outside the country whose names were provided by the Department of Justice to the ACLU:

468

Number of children that the United States of America should cause unnecessary stress or anguish for any reason:

0

Sources: NBC News, Politico and the New Yorker.

Numbers are as of July 30, 2018.