Newly appointed Customs and Border Protection chief Carla Provost, in an interview that aired on Friday, defended separating families that illegally crossed the border by saying the practice has been in place since long before President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE took office.

“Under all four administrations I have worked under, we have separated families for different reasons," Provost told Hill.TV's Buck Sexton on Wednesday on "Rising."

"Obviously, the welfare of the child is of utmost concern for us. And we are still separating if that is of concern. If the parent or the guardian has a serious, criminal history, we will still separate them as well," she continued.

The Trump administration has faced backlash for its zero tolerance policy, which calls for the prosecution of all adult migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S southern border and resulted in migrant children being separated from their families.

President Trump gave in to bipartisan pressure in June and signed an executive order allowing migrant children and their parents to remain together in custody.

Provost said on Thursday that there was never a family separations "initiative," but rather a prosecution initiative under the zero tolerance policy.