Trump administration provides names of separated children
Washington, July 9 : US President Donald Trump's administration has released the names of children under the age of five who were separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border, complying with a federal court order.
The move comes in advance of a Monday hearing on whether to extend the Tuesday deadline for reuniting the children with their families, reports CNN.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) received the list of the names on Sunday of the nearly 100 children, according to a group spokesman.
US District Court Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego ordered the list to be handed over as he considers whether to extend the Tuesday deadline to reunify the families.
But government officials say they need additional time to track down dozens of parents who are no longer in custody, including 19 who were already deported, Justice Department attorney Sarah Fabian said at a hearing on Friday.
Friday's hearing was the latest in the ACLU lawsuit over the administration's family separations.
The case includes a broader group of thousands of other children and parents, but the hearing focused largely on the pressing deadline for the children under five years of age.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
