The clock is ticking for the Trump administration after a federal judge ordered thousands of migrant children and parents reunited within 30 days, sooner if the youngster is under five.

The hard deadline was set today by a US District in San Diego after US President Donald Trump's order ending the separation of families at the Mexican border gave way to days of uncertainty, conflicting information and no guidance from the administration on when parents might see their children again.

The order poses a host of logistical problems for the administration, and it was unclear how it would meet the deadline.

More than 2000 children have been separated from their parents in recent weeks and placed in government‑contracted shelters ‑ hundreds of miles away, in some cases ‑ under a now‑abandoned policy toward families caught illegally entering the US.

[Stuff.co.nz]