There Are Now 666 Children Missing From Their Families Because Of Trump’s Administration

Lawyers cannot find the parents of 666 migrant children who were separated by the Trump administration.

Between April and June 2018, Donald Trump imposed a “zero tolerance” policy on the U.S./Mexico border, resulting in hundreds of families being separated. Children were kept in cages with inadequate food and clothing in unclean environments.

The first number of children who were reported as lost was 545. Now, the number has been raised to 666 after lawyers, who were ordered to reunite the children with their parents, said some migrant families were not recorded because the Trump Administration didn’t initially document their phone numbers. The separated migrant families are the result of Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. Last month, the Trump Administration initially reported that 545 children were missing, but it was actually 666.

NBC News reports that nearly 20 percent, 129, or the children missing were under 5 at the time of separation. Steven Herzog, who is in charge of reuniting migrant families, said that the number is now 666 because the new group includes those “for whom the government did not provide any phone number.” Lawyers said they were not able to find the parents of the 545 children but never made contact with them.

In an email to the Justice Department attorneys who represent Trump, Herzog wrote that his team “would appreciate the government providing any available updated contact information or other information that may help establish contact for all 666 of these parents.” The outlet reports that Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, told them that the new number “includes individuals in addition to 545 for whom we got no information from the government that would allow meaningful searches but are hopeful the government will now provide with that information.”

President-elect Joe Biden has confirmed that he will be creating a government task force that will reunite migrant families separated by Trump. NBC News reports that there are no details on if Joe Biden plans on giving parents the opportunity to come and live in the U.S. with their children.