A top Trump administration official says the number of family separations at the border has fallen and they are done only for compelling reasons.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan says fewer than 1,000 children have been separated from families, out of 450,000 family groups that have crossed the border since October. He says they are separated because of health and safety concerns, among other reasons.
McAleenan was speaking Thursday before the House Oversight Committee. He was testifying amid a growing outcry over the treatment of migrants and the move this week to effectively end asylum on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Lawmakers questioned him about the policy that led to the separation of more than 2,700 children from parents last year. That policy has since been revised.
