The United Nations has slammed the United States for its practice of separating migrant children from their parents at the border, saying the practice violates international law. This is Ravina Shamdasani of the United Nations human rights office.

Ravina Shamdasani: “The U.S. should immediately halt this practice of separating families and stop criminalizing what should at most be an administrative offense, that of irregular entry and stay in the U.S. There is nothing normal about detaining children. As I said, detention is never in the best interest of the child and always constitutes a child rights violation. On this being a criminal offense, as I said, this should—the, you know, entry into a country without the right papers should at most be an administrative offense, and it certainly does not warrant jailing children.”

Federal authorities reportedly separated at least 600 immigrant children from their parents last month, sparking widespread outrage and international condemnation.