WBEZ’s Chicago And Illinois News Roundup: June 22, 2018

By Daniel Tucker
Darwin Micheal Mejia, right, holds hands with his mother, Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia, during a news conference following their reunion at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Friday, June 22, 2018, in Linthicum, Md. The Justice Department agreed to release Mejia-Mejia’s son after she sued the U.S. government in order to be reunited following their separation at the U.S. border. She has filed for political asylum in the U.S. following a trek from Guatemala.
Darwin Micheal Mejia, right, holds hands with his mother, Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia, during a news conference following their reunion at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Friday, June 22, 2018, in Linthicum, Md. The Justice Department agreed to release Mejia-Mejia's son after she sued the U.S. government in order to be reunited following their separation at the U.S. border. She has filed for political asylum in the U.S. following a trek from Guatemala. Patrick Semansky
Darwin Micheal Mejia, right, holds hands with his mother, Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia, during a news conference following their reunion at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Friday, June 22, 2018, in Linthicum, Md. The Justice Department agreed to release Mejia-Mejia’s son after she sued the U.S. government in order to be reunited following their separation at the U.S. border. She has filed for political asylum in the U.S. following a trek from Guatemala.
Darwin Micheal Mejia, right, holds hands with his mother, Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia, during a news conference following their reunion at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Friday, June 22, 2018, in Linthicum, Md. The Justice Department agreed to release Mejia-Mejia's son after she sued the U.S. government in order to be reunited following their separation at the U.S. border. She has filed for political asylum in the U.S. following a trek from Guatemala. Patrick Semansky

WBEZ’s Chicago And Illinois News Roundup: June 22, 2018

By Daniel Tucker
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

The separation of immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border dominated the national and local news coverage this week and seized Americans’ hearts and minds.

As part of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, the federal government took nearly 2,500 children from their parents since the spring. President Trump on Wednesday bowed to a combination of political pressure and public outcry, reversing the policy in an executive order, vowing instead to detain families together.

But earlier this week, reporting from various outlets made it clear that the Department of Homeland Security had no plan in place for reunifying families, and the fate of children who were separated and are currently in detention facilities remains an open question.

Breaking news: 66 children separated from their parents at the border are in Chicago shelters. https://t.co/yNZa427V3x

— Daniel Tucker (@danielptucker) June 22, 2018

Chicago non-profit Heartland says they have 66 youth staying at their shelter who were separated from their parents. Two-thirds of them are under the age of 13. Heartland says they are working to find family members\. (h/t @ArabellaBreck)

— Shannon Heffernan (@shannon_h) June 22, 2018

In this news roundup, Morning Shift reviews the latest on family separations, discusses the media coverage of the issue, and catches you up on key local stories that you might have missed during a busy week.

LEARN MORE:

Watch: 6-Year-Old Girl, Alone, Breaks Through Immigration Noise With A Phone Number (via NPR, 6/22)

This Jacket Caused A Racket: What, Exactly, Does Melania Trump Not Care About? (via NPR, 6/22)

U.S. Announces Its Withdrawal From U.N. Human Rights Council (via NPR, 6/20)

GUESTS: 

Adrienne Samuels Gibbs, Forbes contributor, former Ebony and NBC News editor

Monica Davey, Chicago bureau chief for the New York Times

Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune columnist