Republican senators Jeff Flake Jeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeHow fast population growth made Arizona a swing state Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Republican former Michigan governor says he's voting for Biden MORE (Ariz.) and Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsClub for Growth to spend million in ads for Trump Supreme Court nominee Maryland's GOP governor says Republicans shouldn't rush SCOTUS vote before election The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November MORE (Maine) asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Saturday for clarification on the Trump administration's policy of separating migrant families apprehended at the southern border.

Flake and Collins sent DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Kirstjen Michele NielsenMore than million in DHS contracts awarded to firm of acting secretary's wife: report DHS IG won't investigate after watchdog said Wolf, Cuccinelli appointments violated law Appeals court sides with Trump over drawdown of immigrant protections MORE and HHS Secretary Alex Azar a letter asking for clarity on the administration's procedures and justifications for separating migrant children from their parents.

"We write regarding the safety and security of young children immigrating to the United States," the senators wrote. "Secretary Nielsen recently appeared before the U.S. Senate and testified that immigrant parents and children who present themselves at U.S. ports of entry to request asylum will not be separated. Despite Secretary Nielsen’s testimony, a number of media outlets have reported instances where parents and children seeking asylum at a port of entry have been separated." ADVERTISEMENT

The two questioned whether deterrence was a motivation for separating migrant families and asked for details about DHS’s procedures for processing asylum applications from families.

Flake and Collins also requested information on procedures for keeping parents informed of their children's whereabouts and welfare, as well as training protocols for those processing, transporting or caring for detained children "to make the separation process less traumatic."

In a statement released Sunday announcing the co-signed letter, Flake wrote that protecting young children is a "longstanding priority" in the U.S.



“Ensuring the safety and security of young children is a longstanding priority of the American legal system. In asylum cases, it is especially important to keep families together when neither the child nor the parent has violated any laws,” Flake wrote. “Contrary to what DHS has indicated as proper procedure, we are currently seeing cases where immigrant families seeking asylum are separated after lawfully presenting themselves at a U.S. port of entry."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status MORE announced the Trump administration's “zero tolerance” policy last month, stating that federal agents would aggressively prosecute adults attempting to cross the U.S.–Mexico border illegally. The policy has led to thousands of separations as a result of adults having to be prosecuted separately.

Sessions, upon announcing the new policy, acknowledged it would likely lead to more family separations, but said it was meant to deter future immigrants from attempting to make the journey across Mexico to the U.S.