A U.S. judge has ruled that the Trump administration is operating within its authority when separating families stopped at the Mexico border.
The ruling rejected arguments that the Trump White House was quietly returning to widespread practices that drew international condemnation.
The judge indicated he was uncomfortable second-guessing decisions to separate children on grounds that the parents were considered unfit or dangerous, or in other limited circumstances like criminal history, communicable diseases and doubts about parentage. He found no evidence that the government was abusing its discretion.
In a partial victory for the ACLU, the judge said the federal government must settle any doubts about parentage with DNA tests.
