IP- US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending the practice of separating children from their families in detention centers for illegal immigrants. The order will likely be challenged in court, however.

Trump said on Wednesday morning: I'll be signing something in a little while that's going to do that. I'll be doing something that's somewhat preemptive and ultimately will be matched by legislation I'm sure."

Trump signed on Wednesday morning , before departing for his scheduled trip to Minnesota, an executive order to keep families together in immigration detention facilities on America's southern border with Mexico.

However , despite signing an  executive order  to end family separation , Donald Trump insisted that the so-called “zero tolerance” policy was still being implemented by his attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Trump said: “We’re going to keep families together, but we have to keep our borders strong, as well.”   

Trump tried to maintain his  tough stance on immigration  by insisting that people coming into the United States  illegally, and breaking the laws of the land  would still  be prosecuted , the only difference being that parents and children will be arrested together , and will not be separated  from each other from now on , but the parents would still be treated as criminals.

About  2,342 children have been separated from their families over  the past eight weeks or so.  Shockingly, these children are being kept in large metal cages , which very much resemble prisons. 

The imprisonment of parents and children  has triggered a  massive wave of condemnation, from ordinary Americans, Church groups, and even  former first ladies,  such as Rosalynn Carter, Laura Bush (who called it “cruel” and “immoral”), Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump. Even the current first lady, Melania Trump, has released a statement saying she “hates to see” children separated from their families. Trump's own daughter Ivanka  has also spoken against taking children away from their parents.

Thorbjorn Jagland, the chairman of the European Council, and a senior figure within the EU, also commented on the separation of children from their parents along America's southern border with Mexico , by saying:  "US president, Donald Trump cannot speak on behalf of the free world".

Many Democrats and some Republican politicians  have also roundly condemned the Trump administration's policies towards illegal immigrants.