Federal ruling may affect states’ lawsuit over separation policy

A federal judge in California has ordered U.S. border authorities to reunite children with their separated families and it wasn’t immediately clear how the ruling would affect a similar lawsuit from 17 states.

A judge in San Diego on Tuesday said migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border must be reunited within 30 days of the ruling issued late Tuesday. Any child younger than 5 must be reunified within the next 14 days.

U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw also issued a nationwide injunction on future family separations.

California, Washington, New York and other states joined Washington, D.C. on Tuesday in filing a lawsuit that would force the Trump administration to reunite the separated families.

Immigration authorities have sparked global outrage by separating about 2,300 children from their loved ones.