"Probably we’re going to see more of that — that parents are being ordered to be deported while the children are still pending their cases," Garcia said on Thursday.
Some parents, Garcia explained, have reportedly already been deported while their children stay behind in detention centers.
US Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson Kenneth Wolfe said earlier that more than 2,300 migrant children who have already been separated from their parents will not immediately be reunited contra the stated intent of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order designed to prevent the separation of children from parents apprehended crossing the US-Mexico border illegally. The move came amid fierce criticism after images went viral depicting children locked in cages near the border.
The Trump administration needs to extend the timeline to ensure children can remain united with their detained parents. US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said in a press briefing, however, that the Department of Homeland Security is working with HHS to reunite the families.
