BORDER/CHILDREN/IMMIGRATION/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When federal judge Dana Sabraw gave orders to reunite separated families by certain dates, he made his demands clear: These were ‘firm deadlines,’ he warned. ‘Not aspirational goals.’ That was weeks ago, before an earlier deadline in the case. Fast forward to Thursday [7-26-18], and US officials are scrambling to reunite hundreds of parents and children by the end of the day. The big question is, what happens if the government fails to reunite all families who are eligible for reunification? The short answer: No one really knows. The American Civil Liberties Union — which is suing the government on behalf of some families separated at the border — hasn’t requested a specific punishment if officials miss the deadline, which falls at 6 p.m. ET Thursday. Judge Sabraw hasn’t mentioned any specific consequences, either. But we can look at what happened earlier for clues about what might happen…At the time, Sabraw said the ACLU would be able to suggest any consequences it deemed appropriate. But the ACLU didn’t ask for any punishments, and the judge seemed mostly satisfied with the government’s efforts to meet his July 10 deadline. Two days later, the government said it had finished reuniting 58 eligible families with children under 5.”
–Holly Yan and Tal Kopan, “What happens if the US misses its deadline to reunite families?” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 26, 2018 12:07 pm