The Biden administration said Monday that four families that were separated at the Mexico border during Donald Trump’s presidency will be reunited in the United States this week.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says it is “just the beginning” of a broader effort to reunite children with their parents in the coming weeks and months.

More than 5,500 children were separated from their parents during the Trump administration going back to July 1, 2017.

“We have a lot of work still to do, but I am proud of the progress we have made and the reunifications that we have helped to achieve,” Mayorkas says.

The parents will return to the United States on humanitarian parole while authorities consider longer-term forms of legal status. The children are already in the U.S.

With current travel to Europe being extremely limited due to the COVID-19 outbreak, vaccinated travelers should be excited for the European Union’s proposal to ease restrictions on visiting the 27 nation bloc.

This proposal will be discussed by EU ambassadors and could be in place by June.

Students shopping at the many second-hand stores in the Twin Cities are staying stylish without breaking the bank. Thrift shops and vintage clothing stores can be treasure troves of unique, affordable and high-quality items for shoppers willing to do some digging.

Lauren Dettmer can be reached at lauren.dettmer@stthomas.edu.