A court settlement announced on Friday will allow up to 2,700 children in Central America to reunite with their parents living under protected status in the United States.
The settlement follows a lawsuit that challenged the Trump administration's 2017 decision to end a program that began in 2014 and allowed children living in Central America to reunite with their parents residing legally in the United States. The case was brought against the government by 12 children and parent applicants to the program. Under the terms of the settlement, which must be approved by a judge, the government must finish processing the children who were in the final stages of their applications when the program was ended.
"We are so pleased that after many years apart our clients will finally have the opportunity to reunite with each other in safety," said attorney Linda Evarts, who works for the International Refugee Assistance Project, which represented the plaintiffs.
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The government reportedly anticipates most applicants will be approved and allowed to travel to the United States.
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