Texas border agents tell migrant moms they'll bathe their kids. Instead, they separate them.

A boy from Honduras watches a movie at a detention facility run by the U.S. Border Patrol on September 8, 2014 in McAllen, Texas.

See how the U.S.-Mexico border wall has changed over the years. A boy from Honduras watches a movie at a detention facility run by the U.S. Border Patrol on September 8, 2014 in McAllen, Texas.

See how the U.S.-Mexico border wall has changed over the years. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images Photo: John Moore/Getty Images Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Texas border agents tell migrant moms they'll bathe their kids. Instead, they separate them. 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

Border agents in Texas have been of accused of deceiving immigrant parents in order to separate them from their children.

A Boston Globe report detailing the Trump administration's policy of splitting apprehended migrant families features a conversation with a McAllen federal public defender that has gone viral.

"[Azalea] Aleman-Bendiks, the public defender, said several of her clients have told her their children were taken from them by Border Patrol agents who said they were going to give them a bath," the report read. "As the hours passed, it dawned on the mothers the kids were not coming back."

News of the alleged tactic sparked outrage and drew comparisons to methods used in Nazi Germany.

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What does this remind you of? https://t.co/FPSX7Yc2Cw — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 10, 2018

Border Patrol reportedly using Nazi deception tactics to separate kids from their mothers. https://t.co/zjY8UpuF0y pic.twitter.com/R4GolYbSIb — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) June 10, 2018

A similar report by USA Today appears to corroborate the report:

"Federal agents told two female immigrants they were taking their daughters away for a bath, then never returned with them," said Elissa Steglich, a University of Texas at Austin professor who visited McAllen on a fact-finding mission.

A spokesperson with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said: "nothing could be further from the truth and these allegations are unsubstantiated."

The practice of separating migrant families began in April when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new "zero-tolerance" policy prosecuting 100 percent of illegal border crossings.

"If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law," Sessions said announcing the new policy. "If you don't like that, then don't smuggle children over our border."

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While the separations are not legally required as Sessions suggests, members of the Trump administration, including Sessions and Chief of Staff John Kelly, have made it clear they believe the controversial practice serves as a deterrent to border migration.

Fernando.ramirez@chron.com

Twitter.com/fernramirez93