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Why the delay? Trump administration misses deadline to reunite immigrant families

Thousands of children at the border are still waiting to be reunited with their parents. And according to a court order, the Trump administration is out of time. This is for children under the age of five.

AUSTIN – So far, less than half of immigrant children under five years old are back with their parents, after the Trump administration missed a court ordered deadline.

A federal judge gave the Trump administration until Tuesday to reunite children under five years old with their parents. Only 38 out of the 102 kids were reunited on time, ABC News reports.

An Austin Immigration attorney said the delay has do with the Trump administration and parents who are seeking asylum.

"It's been horrific to work with these families and hear their stories and try to help them,” said Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an immigration lawyer.

For Lincoln-Goldfinch, the past few weeks have been busy and difficult.

"One of my clients describes it as being buried alive,” said Lincoln-Goldfinch.

Lincoln-Goldfinch is an immigration attorney who's representing people separated from their children who crossed the border illegally. She said these parents at the border are having to choose "between pursuing their asylum cases or getting their kids back quickly."

For parents seeking asylum in the U.S., Lincoln-Goldfinch said their reunion is delayed.

"The shelters that are responsible for the children aren't expediting the cases or releasing the children to the parents and the agency that's responsible for the parents is trying to delay, deny, and deport as many of them as they can,” said Lincoln-Goldfinch.

"It's not a surprise,” said Micaela Eller, one of the organizers behind Austin’s Families Belong Together rally.

Eller said rally organizers anticipated that the Trump administration would not meet the deadline and are now working on a petition, urging Congress to create a task force focused on reuniting families. Now, for her and many others frustrated with the delay, the clock is ticking.

"The more time passes, the more damage is done,” said Eller.

The Trump administration revealed that at least 27 children will not be reunited by Tuesday’s deadline because they aren't eligible for reunification. According to the administration, it's because some children have parents with serious criminal histories. Some adults were also found by DNA testing not to be parents of the children, and in one case, there was evidence of child abuse.

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