Markey addressed protesters against family detentions at the U.S. Capitol last Thursday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Speaking to reporters after he returned from visiting immigration detention centers at the border, Sen. Ed Markey said he does not believe the government will be able to reunite immigrant parents separated from their children by the deadline set by a federal court judge.
Markey said there was despair, anxiety, and confusion among the men, women, and children he spoke to at ICE facilities in Texas. As for the agencies overseeing them, he said they seem as much in the dark as the families themselves.
"This administration has not given any agency any guidance as to how to reunify these families," he said.
The U.S. Government has one week under a federal court order to reunite children five and under with their parents, and another two weeks for older kids. But with no plan in place, Markey said he's doubtful that deadline will be met.
"The Trump administration still has no plan for the reunification of the mothers and fathers with their children," he said.
At this point, Markey said, it isn't even known how many children remain separated from their parents.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kendall Buhl (@KBuhlWBZ) reports