Thread by @lomikriel

New: @aclu asks judge overseeing family separations to order govnt halt the ongoing practice, saying +900, incl. babies, have been separated since injunction last summer. Our story in June had +700, often for questionable gang claims or criminal records.
houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

@ACLU

@ACLU Many of the parents we interviewed had been separated from their children because of dubious gang allegations that fell apart upon closer investigation or because they had been victims of gang crimes, not perpetrators.

@ACLU How and why they are showing up on this gang data base @MelissaLaLinea reported on last month is unclear; we know little on how/why such info is collected or even on what basis. propublica.org/article/immigr…

@ACLU @MelissaLaLinea Carlos, for ex, who we reported on last fall, was held for 6 months accused of being MS13, but was released on bond in May & allowed to rejoin his kids in Washington. The govnt never contested his release or presented more evidence of his gang affiliation
houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

@ACLU @MelissaLaLinea Another parent in our story said the government claim the 14yo with him was not his son, but didn't give him a DNA test even though he begged. A 19yo was separated from her 2yo because she had been abused by gangs as a teen & showed up on the database.
houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

@ACLU @MelissaLaLinea More from @mariasacchetti on @aclu filing: one migrant lost his daughter because CBP claimed he failed to change her diaper. Another migrant lost his child because of a conviction on a malicious destruction of property charge with alleged damage of $5.
tinyurl.com/y46rzvle

@ACLU @MelissaLaLinea @mariasacchetti Acting DHS Sec said separations are 'extraordinarily rare,' only when adults pose a risk to the child b/c of their criminal record, a disease, or neglect. But our reporting shows not always the case. ACLU says govnt 'trying to drive a truck through a very narrow exception'