The decision by the Oversight Committee will compel the heads of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to deliver documents to lawmakers.

The committee’s chair, Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, has pledged to press the administration for documents and testimony on a wide swath of issues, but family separation was among his first priorities.

“I believe this is a true national emergency,” Cummings said.

…The committee wants details on the children separated, location and facilities where they were held, details on their parents, information on efforts to restore children to their parents and whether parents were deported.

…Cummings said the documents already submitted to the committee were vastly incomplete.

“The information we got was not one name, not one number,” Cummings said. “Zilch.”

…If any officials don’t comply with new subpoenas, the committee and eventually the full House could vote to hold the department in contempt, setting up a potentially lengthy court battle.

…An internal watchdog report recently found that thousands more children than previously thought may have been separated before the zero-tolerance policy officially began.

House subpoenas Trump over family separations at border

hmmm