WASHINGTON, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families after illegally crossing the U.S. border in April and May, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Friday.
From April 19 to May 31 of this year, 1,995 minors traveling with 1,940 adults who said they were the children's guardians were separated, DHS spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters on a conference call Friday.
The adults were arrested as part of the administration's zero-tolerance policy to charge every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes.
As a result, children are separated from them, with no clear procedure for their reunion. The children would be transferred to government detention facilities or foster care while officials try to resolve their cases.
Prosecutions for illegal crossings have more than doubled in the past two months, though they have not reached 100 percent, according to the DHS.
Rights groups have urged the U.S. government to halt the family separations.
