WASHINGTON — House Democrats issued subpoenas late Tuesday to three cabinet officials, in a sharp escalation of their battle over the administration’s policy of separating migrant families at the southern border.

Administration officials did not immediately say if the cabinet officials — the homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen; the attorney general, William P. Barr; and the health and human services secretary, Alex M. Azar II — would comply. But Ms. Nielsen has previously refused to appear before the House Homeland Security committee to answer similar inquiries, and the Justice Department suggested Mr. Barr would not turn over documents requested by the committee.

Earlier in the day, the House Oversight and Reform Committee easily passed a measure authorizing the subpoenas that called for the officials to turn over documents pertaining to the detention policies, as two Republicans — Representative Justin Amash of Michigan and Representative Chip Roy of Texas — voted with Democrats to authorize the subpoenas. Moments later, the House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on a child separation policy that the panel’s Democratic chairman, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, described as “indefensible,” “inhumane” and “immoral” in his opening statement.

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