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IMMIGRATION / Modified jun 15, 2018 3:22 p.m.

2,000 Kids Separated From Parents at Border in Less Than 2 Months

The numbers are for families separated due to adults facing prosecution from mid-April to the end of May. by Matthew Casey, Fronteras Desk

Pedestrian border crossing A pedestrian border crossing in Nogales.
AZPM

About 2,000 kids were separated from their families at the border from mid-April through the end of May.

There are three ways kids and adults get separated at the border. The first is if there are concerns about a child’s safety. The second is if federal officials can’t confirm a child and adult are family. And the third is when a parent will be prosecuted for entering the U.S. illegally.

Prosecutions have spiked since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero-tolerance policy for illegal border crossings in early April. A Department of Homeland Security spokesman says from April 19 through May 31, 1,995 were separated from 1,940 adults facing prosecution.

Fronteras Desk
This story is from the Fronteras Desk, a collaboration of Southwestern public radio stations, including NPR 89.1. Read more from the Fronteras Desk.
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